Gohan's Journey to the past
by Grand Wolf
Summary: COMPLETE! An AU fanfiction, what if Gohan survived to go back into the past? Gohan has survived thanks to Bulma's genius. She gave him a cybernetic arm to replace his old one. Now Gohan must go back in time, but no one can know who he really is...
1. The beginning

Gohan struggled not to cry. His father was lying there, dead. He couldn't believe it, he wouldn't believe it. Goku, his father, was the strongest man to ever live; how could a mere disease kill him? He had to be strong, strong for his mother. The others told him that crying was okay, but Gohan disagreed. Dad would want me to be strong, like he was. Gohan had cried his eyes out weeks before. The tears were gone, and he was done crying. He reached over and took his mother's hand, and tried to smile. Chi-Chi responded by breaking down into tears; he looked so much like Goku…

Krillen felt empty, lost. Goku can't die. Goku's invincible, unstoppable, and impervious to harm. Krillen thought, for the longest time, that he would be the first to die, and stay that way.

Yamcha's eyes were downcast. Goku was the first real friend he ever had. He remembered living by his wits, struggling to survive. Goku beat him, and beat him good. It was the best beating Yamcha ever took. Goku gave him the greatest gift he ever received, salvation. He looked over at Bulma. Something had changed between them, something that he couldn't understand. It looked like they were apart for good.

Bulma was crying, and couldn't stop. She was nearly hysterical. Goku was her best friend. She loved him like a brother, no he _was_ her brother. He had the strength of a thousand warriors, the purity of a child, the wisdom of a god, and the kindness of a saint. Now, now he was dead. His purity was gone, and his beaming smile was destroyed forever. Her eyes narrowed. Somehow, some way, she would find a way to save him. Bulma Briefs was never denied anything in her life, and she wasn't about ready to let death get away with it either.

Tien didn't know what to say. Goku had saved him from the life of an assassin. Chaoutzu was teary eyed, but the stoic Tien would not allow himself to shed a tear. Goku's fine, he said, allowing himself a little smile. He _knew _Goku was okay, he _knew _it. He had seen heaven himself, and knew that Goku was there know. Tien tried to comfort Launch, who kept sneezing and transforming back and forth. Both sides of her were equally heartbroken. Yet another soul saved by Goku, Tien mused. He cast a look at Ch-Chi, who was sitting by her son, trying not to cry. He wished he knew what to say.

Master Roshi was quiet. He felt that he had no right to outlive Goku. He was the three hundred year old pervert, and Goku was a pure hearted, brave, and gentle soul. There is no justice, Roshi thought. Then, he saw Gohan. Roshi saw the youth, whose face was contorted, trying not to cry. Suddenly, Roshi looked up, _"Goku?" _He said, reaching out with his mind. Roshi nodded, understanding. Goku was okay, and he was telling his old master that he shouldn't feel guilty. Roshi broke down, weeping for the son he never had.

Piccolo stood back. His instincts told him to go to Gohan, but his wisdom told him otherwise. He knew that Gohan would need him, but not now. Piccolo wasn't a comforter. If Gohan wanted to fight his anger out of him, Piccolo would have gladly let him take his frustrations out on himself, just to let him get some sleep. Piccolo looked up, and nodded. "Didn't think you'd come." He said.

"I hadn't planned on it, but Bulma will probably not be able to take herself home." Piccolo didn't know why Vegeta seemed so concerned about a woman he barely knew. Vegeta said. "BAKA!" Vegeta said, anger on his face. "That idiot Kakkarot did this to spite me!" He said. "I was _finally _catching up to him!" He said, scowling.

"I know how you feel." Piccolo said. "I get strong enough to challenge him, and he dies." Piccolo said, smirking. "Ah, well I guess that makes us the two strongest beings on Earth." Vegeta turned towards the crowd, where a man in black was delivering a eulogy. "Not that I'm glad of the change. I'd just feel more comfortable if Goku were here to fight with us, if anything came up."

"As would I…" Vegeta said. Piccolo turned to the saiyan in surprise. That was the first inkling that Vegeta ever gave that he didn't hate Goku. In fact, he almost admitted that he liked Goku. Vegeta took off, mumbling something about returning after the service.

A little while later, the service ended. Piccolo walked over to Gohan and Chi-Chi, and looked down at his pupil. Piccolo managed a weak smile.

"I'm not your father…" Piccolo said, struggling to say what he would say next. "But I just want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to…" Piccolo ducked down to look Gohan in the eye. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you…" Piccolo said. Piccolo got up, preparing to leave.

"Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan said, sniffling.

"Yes Gohan?" Piccolo said.

"You won't die, will you?" Gohan asked. "Things are going to be okay, aren't they?" he said.

"Gohan, I won't die, not as long as you need me here." Piccolo said, he turned, smiling. "Things are going to be fine, trust me." Piccolo flew off to think to himself.


	2. Gohan's new arm

Piccolo ran in front of him, Gohan was crying, scared, and very confused. The others, everyone else, was dead, scattered around, their bodies singed and broken.

"GOHAN, GET OUT OF HERE!" Piccolo shouted.

"MR. PICCOLO, NOOO!" Gohan yelled, as his teacher was destroyed before his eyes.

"That's another one dead." Seventeen said. He turned his attention on the boy…

Gohan awoke, startled. His breath came shallow, he was trying to calm himself down. He looked around, trying to remember where he was, when it was.

It had been nearly fifteen years, since the others were all killed. Gohan thought to himself, why was he so much younger in his dreams? Gohan's dream self was four years old, even though Gohan was actually about seven when Piccolo died. Gohan remembered the words of Piccolo, at his dad's funeral.

"Piccolo…" He said. "You told me you'd be here if I needed you. I need you now, but where are you?" Gohan got out of bed, and looked at himself in the mirror. His face was covered in scars, and his eyes were cold. He had lived a life of fear, and it wasn't getting better. He dressed himself in the dark. If Bulma knew what he was planning, what he was going to do with Trunks, she would kill him.

Trunks looked on while Gohan fought the androids. Gohan was strong, sure, but the androids were stronger. Trunks' wanted to help his friend, but he wasn't strong enough, either. Gohan had explicitly told him not to fight.

Suddenly the male android tossed Gohan onto the ground. He raised his hand, and prepared to blast.

"NO!" Trunks yelled, and slammed his fist into the android. The android fell back, slamming into a building.

"What? A useless brat?" The female said. "Brother, drag yourself out of that useless rubble, and get back over here, we have a new victim to kill." She began to beat on Trunks, and soon knocked him to the ground. She raised her hand to blast him away.

"NO!" Gohan roared, and jumped in the way. "AAH!" He screamed. The pain shot through his body, and he slammed into the ground. The androids left, thinking the two of them were dead.

"GOHAN!" Trunks said. He was in a world of pain. He had broken bones, and was probably dying.

"Trunks…" It was Gohan, crawling in his direction. "Eat this, it'll help." Gohan said. His strength began to return. Trunks stood up, and saw his mentor. Trunks stared in horror, Gohan's left arm was blown completely off. Gohan needed help, and bad.

"MOM!" Trunks yelled, kicking the door down.

"Trunks, what have I told you about…" She saw Gohan, lying limply in the boy's arms.

"GOHAN!" Bulma screamed. His arm was gone, blown off from the shoulder down. "Oh, Kami…" She was nearly in tears. Tears would wait, Gohan's life needed to be saved.

It took three agonizing hours, but she stabilized him. His scarred face looked almost peaceful. Gohan had only known war his whole life. He had lost his father at a young age, and just about everyone else soon followed. She bent over the young man, waiting for him to awaken.

Bulma was no fighter, but she knew that one arm was a bad thing. If Gohan couldn't hardly hold his own against the androids, how could he if he only had one arm. Ki blasts are hot, she thought. Luckily, the androids had burned the wound clean. All Bulma had to do was keep him from going into shock, which she managed. She congratulated herself on her knowledge of first aid. That and the medical equipment she rummaged together a few years ago. She had an idea, a rather revolutionary one, but she wanted to make sure Gohan would be okay with it.

Gohan woke up the next day, fairly weak, but improving. He noticed his missing arm, and fell back down with an exasperated sigh. He knew it had been destroyed, and now, it was only a matter of time…

"Gohan…" Bulma said. "I have an idea…" She said.

Gohan looked over at Bulma, his father's oldest friend. "What is it?"

"I can help you with your arm, but you may not like it." She said.

"What is it?" Gohan asked.

"Years ago, two androids attacked. Vegeta destroyed one of them single handedly. He knew that I loved to tinker with machines, so he brought its head back for study. I discovered hidden plans…" She said. "The plans were for how to combine the android technology with living tissue. Apparently that's was done with those two androids. I…" She paused. "I can replace your arm, but it would be an android's arm…I didn't want to do it without your permission."

"Will it be as strong as my old one?" Gohan asked.

"Stronger, actually. The alloy that was made for these androids' bodies is really strong. I've never seen anything like it." She said. "I can also detect their energy signatures with a new device."

"You've invented a device that can detect the androids?" Gohan asked, almost smiling. He was so happy to hear such good news, he sat up in bed.

"Yes, just finished it." Bulma said. "I also invented a ki distortion device that can block out or alter the 'feel' of your ki. It would make you impossible to track." She said. "I also copied the technology that allowed the original two to absorb ki, I've modified it to absorb the energy that the androids use…" She said. "What do you say?" She asked.

Gohan looked up, and appeared to be smiling. "Can you put all those gadgets on the arm?" he asked.

"All of them? Yes, and a few more." She said.

"How long will it take to build?" He asked.

"Four days to build, and a fifth day to calibrate. It will feel exactly like your original arm, and it will even look like it. It won't be warm like human flesh though, and it can't produce sweat or anything like that…" She said.

"That doesn't matter to me, please build it for me, I need to be able to protect you and Trunks, and everyone else." Gohan said.

"I understand." Bulma said.

Five days later, Gohan flexed his new arm for the first time. His new arm was exactly like the old one, with a few differences. He could experience sensations, but his new arm was cold to the touch. The center of his palm had a tiny red gem that absorbed energy. He looked over to Bulma, and smiled.

"This feels identical to my original arm, except…" He took her hand and brought it over to his arm.

"I know, it doesn't feel alive. I couldn't quite build you an organic arm, because I don't have organic parts. Now, before I forget, the devices are voice activated. I programmed to ignore all but your voice, got it? Try this command. Android scouter, detect mode."

"Android scouter, detect mode." Gohan said. Suddenly, he could feel the androids. Luckily, they were on the other side of the world. "That'll help. Just write down the other commands and I'll memorize them a little later. I want to test out my new arm, first." Gohan said. "Trunks!" He said.

"Yeah Gohan?" Trunks said.

"This is my new arm." Gohan said.

"Wow, it looks just like your old one." Trunks reached over to touch it. "It doesn't feel alive, though."

"I know." Gohan said. "Shall we spar, to test it out?" Gohan asked.

"Good idea!" Trunks shouted.

The two of them sparred for three hours. Gohan discovered that his new arm was just as responsive as the old one. He accidentally hit Trunks with it, and the boy fell, screaming in pain.

"Trunks, I'm so sorry!" Gohan said, "Good, it isn't broken."

"Don't be…" Trunks said, managing a smile. "Just imagine what it could do with the androids…" he said.

Gohan looked at his young friend and smiled. He was disappointed in his lack of self control, but this new arm…

A few minutes later, Bulma was helping Trunks out with his injury. She turned to Gohan.

"Bulma, I'm sorry…" Gohan said.

"He's okay." Bulma said. "I want to talk to you about something." She said.

"What do you want to talk about?" Gohan asked, relief in his voice.

"How would you like to fix the past?" Bulma said. "I've discovered a way to save your father." Gohan stared.


	3. Ichidou

"You say you've built some sort of time machine?" Gohan said.

"Yes…it can only hold one person, and it's very technical to operate, but yes…" Bulma said.

"Wouldn't that damage the time stream?" Gohan asked. "I'm no expert, but that could change the future for the worst…" Gohan said.

"What kind of future could be worse than that!" Bulma said, pointing to the window. The ruins of the city stretched out for miles.

"I understand." Gohan said, nodding. "How long will it take?" he asked.

"Two more days." Bulma said. "Two days, and we can save the universe…" She smiled.

"I studied advanced physics back before dad died, and…"

"How, you couldn't have been more than five years old!" Bulma said, surprised. She always knew Gohan was bright, but…

"Even if I managed to save dad…" Gohan paused. "I just might end up redirecting time and creating an alternate universe. Our Goku may still wind up being dead."

"Yes, I understand, but…" She paused. "If you fight along side them, you may come back strong enough to stop them! I mean, in the past, you would have all the time you needed to train! You could become strong enough to beat them, I'm sure of it." She looked out the window. "Even if…even if you don't change _our _future, the idea that somewhere, somehow, your father is alive, and everything is okay…" She turned back to Gohan. "Even if you can't save _our _Goku, saving _a _Goku would make me happy." She said.

"You're right." Gohan said. "You finish the time machine, and I'll get ready."

Two days passed, and Gohan and Bulma were going over the plans. "Now, you can't tell them that you're you, you need to invent some sort of fake identity." Bulma said. "The ki distortion device will make sure that you don't feel like Gohan to them. Also, I made you a black gi, so you're not dressed like one of them, either." She said. "Give this medicine to your father, and tell him to make sure he takes it." She said. "Now, do you have any idea when you're going to go back?"

"Yes…" Gohan said. "The day dad finally came home after the battle with Frieza." Gohan said. "Any farther ahead, and it might not be enough time. Any farther back is impossible, because I could mess up time even worse. Three years is stretching it, so that day is the day to do it." he shrugged. "Besides, everybody gathered together on that day because of Frieza, it would be a perfect time." Gohan nodded. "That's the day, then."

Bulma smiled. For the first time, she felt hope. She picked up a bucket of paint, and walked over to the time machine. "Hope…" She said, and began to paint. "That's your name…" She turned to Gohan, and smiled.

"Hope?" Gohan said, incredulous. "Hope…" Gohan smiled.

"That's the name of the time machine, silly." Bulma said. She had never felt more hopeful.

"I like it." Gohan said.

The time machine settled down, and Gohan stepped out. He began to feel around. He felt Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillen, Yamcha, Tien, and several others. His father wasn't there yet, but Gohan was happy.

"Ki distortion device, activate." Gohan said, activating the device that would make him feel unlike himself. He could feel King Cold and Frieza land on the surface of the planet. Gohan smiled, since he was already messing with the time stream…

Vegeta glared at Frieza, who was just getting out of his ship. The saiyan prince glared at the being, surprised by his new, mechanical body. Vegeta then saw King Cold, Frieza's father, who stood over Frieza, tall, and menacing. Vegeta decided to fight, even if it meant certain death. The saiyan prince would have attacked, except a strange person dropped down. He was wearing a black gi, with long blue sleeves underneath, that led into a pair of white gloves.

"Frieza…" Gohan said. "You don't know me, but I certainly know you…" He scowled. "Killing you will be a pleasure." Gohan said.

"Don't bother with that one, his power level is only ten." King Cold said.

"That's why scouters never worked." Gohan said. "How useful can such a device be…" He smiled, and suddenly transformed into a super saiyan. "When I can hide my true power!" Gohan shouted.

Vegeta was surprised, who was this man? He looked on as Gohan smirked in Frieza's direction. The evil one could only shake in fear. "Not another monkey…" Frieza said, shaking.

"You've seen one such as me before, haven't you?" Gohan asked. Frieza was still shaking. "DIE!" Gohan shouted. King Cold watched as Gohan incinerated Frieza. There was nothing left.

"You're a strong one…" King Cold said. "How would you like to join me?"

"I have a better proposal." Gohan said.

"What is that?" King Cold asked.

"I kill you." Gohan said, blasting King Cold into nothingness.

"Who are you?" Vegeta asked.

"Goku's coming…" Gohan said.

Suddenly Vegeta turned around. "He's right, Kakkarot's here!" Vegeta said, as they all took off.

Gohan took off faster than anyone else, to make sure that he got plenty of time to talk to Goku. There he was, looking around. He knew that his father could feel him, but he wasn't afraid, he didn't feel like Gohan.

"Goku!" Gohan said, landing. It felt strange, and disrespectful, to call his father by his first name. Gohan landed, and looked over his father. He was dressed rather strangely, but Gohan remembered why.

"Who are you?" Goku said. Gohan fought the urge to yell 'daddy' and run into his father's arms.

"I have come from the future. Three years from now…" Gohan looked into the distance. Good, they were even out of Piccolo's hearing range. "Three years from now, a pair of powerful androids will come, and they will kill everyone." Gohan said. "You will die of a lethal heart virus, which will kill you before you can fight." He said. "They will kill everyone." Gohan let his words sink in. "Unless you prepare yourselves. I have brought a powerful medicine that's designed to cure the virus. Take it as soon as the symptoms set in." Goku nodded. "You have three years."

"I just have one question." Goku asked. "Who, are you?"

"My name is Ichidou." Gohan said.

"Are you strong?" Goku asked.

"Yes." Ichidou replied.

"How strong?" Goku asked.

"I am a super saiyan." came Ichidou's answer.

"Prove it, spar with me." Goku said.

"Fair enough…" Ichidou said, and he went on the offensive. Goku fought well, but was overwhelmed.

"Wow, you're pretty strong." Goku said, panting. "Where did you come from?"

"I come from far in the future. Because of the effects on the time stream, I cannot tell you who I really am." Ichidou answered. "There's no telling what kind of effect this could have on the future."

"I understand." Goku answered. Ichidou flew off before everyone else arrived.

"Who was he?" Piccolo said, landing.

"He said he was from the future…" Goku said. "He told us that, in three years, androids would come and kill us all…" Goku said.


	4. The androids arrive

"Gohan!" Bulma shouted. The time machine was settling down, back into Gohan's messed up future. "Nothing changed!" Gohan looked at her.

"Hmm…" Gohan thought to himself. "Maybe they still failed…" he thought to himself.

"I remember a few things…" Bulma said. "I don't know if I knew them before…" She said.

"Like what?" Gohan asked.

"Well, how did your father die?" Bulma asked.

"A heart virus." Gohan said.

"That's what I thought…" She said. "Unless your father didn't take his medicine like he promised. You should go back…" She said. Gohan shook his head.

"You need my help…" He said, shaking his head. She laughed.

"Don't you understand yet? You are traveling through time, silly!" She laughed at Gohan, who was smiling sheepishly.

"Ugh, I am stupid." he shrugged. "I can go, spend five years there, and come back three seconds after I left…" He realized how stupid he was. "I want to give you a full report before I head back out. This time, I'm going to the day the androids showed up." Gohan tightened his fist. "I won't let Piccolo die…"

Gohan stayed just long enough to eat dinner and do a little sparring with Trunks. Gohan got back into the time machine, and left for the past.

Gohan arrived, stepping out of his time machine again. "Android scouter, detect mode." Suddenly, he could feel the energy being emitted by the androids. "Ki distortion device, cancel out." Gohan said. He knew that his ki could not be sensed. He would use it to get to the others undetected. Piccolo was there, along with Vegeta, his younger self, and Krillen. His father was weakened, and off in the distance. He hoped that he had taken his medicine…if not, Gohan brought a second batch just in case…

Piccolo was about to send Android #20 to hell, when he saw Ichidou. The android took the opportunity to take off.

"Ichidou…" Piccolo said. "We've been training, and as you can see, these androids weren't a threat." Piccolo looked to Ichidou, hoping to see happiness.

"These weren't the androids I told Goku about…these androids were annihilated without much trouble. You did a much better job than you did in my time."

"The other android escaped." Piccolo said.

"Let's go after him, before he awakens the others!" Ichidou shouted.

"Why bother?" Vegeta said. "We need a new challenge." Vegeta looked over to Ichidou. "How do I know you're not exaggerating?" Vegeta scowled.

"Well, the guy's a super saiyan, so he's probably not lying if he says their strong." Krillen offered.

"Yeah, how could they be weak if he needed to come back in time to stop them?" Gohan offered. Ichidou looked over at his younger self, and was disturbed by what he saw. He shook his head of the cobwebs, and listened to the three of them discuss the matter.

Suddenly, they looked up. It was Yajirobe and Bulma, arriving on the scene to see what happened. Ichidou looked at Bulma. She looked quite young, and had not experienced the pain of loss as the Bulma from his time had. She never will, he thought. He looked down at baby Trunks, and smiled. The baby would never live in fear as the Trunks from his time had to.

"You must be Ichidou." Bulma said. "I'm Bulma." She said.

"Nice to meet you." Ichidou said.

"You came from the future?" Bulma asked.

"Yes…" Ichidou said.

"Who are you?" Bulma asked.

"I've heard that you are a woman of science, so you'll understand…" He took a deep breath. "I cannot tell you who I am." he said. "It would endanger the future."

"Why were you smiling at my son?" She asked. Gohan looked her in the eyes.

"I know him from my time." Gohan said.

"Is he a good person?" Bulma asked. "Did he…die?" she asked, fear in her eyes.

"No, your son is very much alive in my time, and he is a good person. He's a survivor…" Ichidou turned to Vegeta. "One of the few…"

"Hmph…" Vegeta said, scowling. "What now, warrior from the future?" He turned to Ichidou, who returned the stare.

"We go after him." Gohan said.

"After who?" Bulma asked.

"One of the androids, looked like an old man." Piccolo said. "I don't know why someone would have built an android to look like an old man."

"What did he look like?" Bulma asked.

"He had a mustache, about here…" Ichidou said, "and long white hair."

"Did he say who built him?" She asked.

"No…" Piccolo said. "He had an unusual design on his hat…" he said. The android had accidentally dropped his hat. Suddenly, Piccolo's eyes went wide. "He wasn't a real android…he had a human brain." He hadn't thought of it before.

"Human brain…let me see that hat…" Bulma took the hat. "Oh my…" She said. "I know who built these androids. Years ago, a man worked with my father, a man by the name of Dr. Gero. He was an expert at robotics. Soon, he received an offer from an organization known as the Red Ribbon Army. They hired him away…" She said. "Only Dr. Gero would have been smart enough to construct androids, but why would he have turned himself into one?"

"That's none of my concern!" Vegeta said, shooting into the air.

"Piccolo." Ichidou said.

"What?" Piccolo asked.

"We need to follow him…" He said. "They're beyond him." Ichidou turned to Piccolo, and they took off after Vegeta.

"I hope you know what you're doing…" Krillen mumbled.

"You're from the future?" Gohan asked, Ichidou nodded. "But you can't tell us who you are, right?" Gohan asked.

"Yes, I can't tell you, because it might endanger the future." Ichidou looked at his younger self, and smiled. "You wouldn't want me to ruin the future, now would you?"

"No…" Gohan said. "It sounds like the androids did that on their own." Ichidou need only to think of his ruined world to agree.

Vegeta, meanwhile, was flying off to track down Gero. Suddenly, he stopped. "This isn't good…." he mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Piccolo asked, as they caught up.

"I lost sight of him, he doesn't have a ki to track." The prince growled.

"True, but…" Ichidou said. "I have a way to track him." the others looked at him in shock. "I trained myself on how to track their energies. It took me years to learn, years I don't have to teach the rest of you…" He quietly thought to himself…where was he? Suddenly, he turned. "Found him, let's go!" Gohan said. They took off. All but Vegeta were hoping they could stop him before it was too late.

"Gah!" Gero said. "They're following me, but I don't know how…" He turned to two sheet covered slabs. "I hope you two are in a better mood, because they'll kill me without your help."

He walked over to a large computer and began to manipulate the various dials and buttons. Soon, his two creations sat up, and looked in his direction. There was a male, and a female. The male had black hair, and the female was a blonde.

"Good, you're awake." Gero said. "People are coming to kill me, and I need you to help me…" He looked into the cold, emotionless eyes of his creations.

"How about I kill you myself…" The male said. He jumped off the table, and kicked his creator's head off. He then smashed it into a million pieces.

"You heard him, Seventeen, there are a bunch of people coming to kill him." the female said.

"I know, Eighteen…" He said, turning to Eighteen. "Let's kill them ourselves." He suggested.

"Sounds like fun." She said.


	5. The Distraction

Ichidou descended to the last location Gero had been. Now, two, even stronger androids were lurking inside. He wasn't worried. This time, they had an ace up their sleeve, this time, they were prepared.

"We're too late." he said. "They're already active."

"Excellent!" Vegeta said. "I can destroy them. We don't need Kakkarot!"

The two androids stepped out into the light. The others didn't know how powerful they were. Ichidou did, though, he had fought them in his own time.

"Who are you?" Seventeen asked. Ichidou wanted to kill him, right here. He wanted to end this battle at this moment. He wasn't strong enough, though, not yet.

"I am Vegeta, prince of saiyans!" Vegeta said. "I am here to destroy you!" He said. "You, the one with the black hair, why don't you come and fight me." he regarded Eighteen with disdain. "Your woman can sit by and watch."

"Seventeen, sit back, I'll handle the 'prince'." Eighteen said.

"Do what you want." Seventeen said. "I'll watch."

Vegeta charged, and started to pound Eighteen into the ground. At first, he was winning easily, beating the android mercilessly. He kicked her into the side of a mountain. He waited, knowing that she wasn't done yet.

Meanwhile, Ichidou was watching. He knew that the android was bluffing, but he couldn't tell Vegeta that. Vegeta wouldn't have listened, not to him, or anyone else.

Predictably, Eighteen crawled her way out of the mountain, and went on the offensive. She rushed at Vegeta, and began to beat him senseless. After only a few minutes, he was knocked unconscious.

Ichidou moved in. He ran towards Eighteen at full speed. He was a lot stronger than Vegeta, and he had one distinct advantage. His android arm was stronger than his ordinary arm, and they didn't know it. She didn't expect him to rush to Vegeta's defense.

She countered everything he threw, but unlike Vegeta, he was giving her a workout. Soon, however, Seventeen rushed in to help. Overwhelmed, Ichidou blinded the two of them, ran over, picked up Vegeta, and flew off. By the time they could see again, the Z fighters were gone.

Ichidou landed, and put Vegeta down. Thanks to his handy device, they were off the androids' radar.

"Ichidou…" Piccolo said. "I'm going to Kami's Lookout, I've got a plan…" He said. His mentor gone, Ichidou struggled to think of a plan.

"Um, Ichidou, I think we ought to go to Master Roshi's house to figure out what to do." Krillen said.

"Excellent idea." Ichidou said. He decided to detect them. "They've activated a third one…" He said. "Alright, I'm going back to the lab."

"Did you say back?" Krillen shouted. "You'll get us killed!"

"No, the androids are all the way over there…" he pointed in a random direction. "They've already taken off. Gohan, go home and check on your father. Once that's taken care of, go to Master Roshi's house. Krillen, come with me. Take Vegeta there, and make sure he recovers." He said.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Gohan asked.

"We'll be fine, the androids are out having 'fun'." Ichidou flinched when he said the word 'fun'. Krillen and Gohan didn't want to know what 'fun' meant. "They're not interested in fighting right now. I learned how to predict their movements. They go and destroy large portions of civilization, and then randomly go attack people. They don't generally go after strong warriors unless they get in their way. Even then, they're more likely to kill someone straight out instead of fighting them."

"Got it." Krillen said. "Say no more…" He whispered. Gohan took off, flying for home. Ichidou turned to Krillen.

"They're probably going to try and kill Goku…" He said. "We're going to distract them." he said.

"WHAT!" Krillen shouted. "They'll kill us!"

"Not really…" Ichidou said. "We're not going to attack them directly, just mess with their minds a bit. Throw them into a wild goose chase." He said.

"How?" Krillen asked.

"With this…"Ichidou threw him a small device. "It's a ki distorter. It will alter the 'feel' of your ki into the ki of anyone you want. Everyone, including the androids, will be fooled by the device. It can also delete your ki signature so that no one can sense you." He turned to Krillen, and chuckled. "They're going to spend the next few hours hunting after Son Goku, and he won't be around at all."

"That's brilliant, who invented this thing, did you?" Krillen asked.

"No, someone else did…come on!" Ichidou said. They began to fly. "Change into Piccolo, I'll turn into Goku." he said.

"Wow, you really do feel like Goku!" Krillen said.

"Okay, now change to Gohan, and I'll change to Vegeta." Ichidou said. They flew around the world as fast as they could, shifting their devices off and on, turning into random Z fighters. The androids couldn't track them down.

"This is a good way to do this, but I'm tired." Krillen said.

"Okay, go down into that canyon…" Ichidou suggested. "I'll keep watch."

"Thanks, man, I'm bushed." Krillen said, descending into the canyon.

Krillen sat down, and began to breathe deeply. Suddenly, he looked up. The female, android Eighteen, was standing over him. "Eep…" He whispered, paralyzed. "Ichidou…help…" he said.

"Hello…I saw you when you were with your friends…" Eighteen said.

"Um…" Krillen said. "Help?" Krillen tried to call for help, but he was too scared.

"Don't call out for somebody's help…" Eighteen said. "I don't want to hurt you." She said.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Krillen said.

"You have no choice but to trust me, don't you." She said. She began to walk over to him. He couldn't move. She leaned in, getting closer and closer…

Suddenly, he felt her lips on his mouth. She pulled back, and smiled. "I think you're cute…" She said. "See you later!" She suddenly took off.

"Krillen, what happened!" Ichidou said, flying down. "Was that Eighteen?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Krillen said. "She didn't see me, turned the device off just in time." He sputtered.

"Krillen, is that lipstick?" Ichidou asked.

"What?" Krillen said, turning away. "No, no a little blood must've got on me from when I helped carry Vegeta, that's all…" he wiped his mouth off. "Stupid saiyan blood." he muttered.

"Okay…" Ichidou said, looking at Krillen in disbelief. "Wait, you didn't help me carry Vegeta…" He said.

"We need to get moving, she might circle back around!" Krillen said. He really didn't want to tell him that he thought that Eighteen was cute. How do you tell someone 'I think the most evil person in your life, the person that destroyed your world, is hot'. It just isn't done.


	6. The new threat

A/N: Just in case you were wondering, loosely translated, Ichidou means 'sliver of hope' in Japanese. At least, that's what I got from an online English Japanese translator. I wanted to name his alias a variation of hope, and Ichidou happened to be the best word for the job, in my opinion.

Thanks for the reviews, sorry I didn't get to thanking you for that earlier, I just kept firing chapters out of my brain and completely forgot to thank you, sorry. Glad you enjoy my story!

Gohan landed at home, Vegeta in his arms. Quickly, he pulled a Senzu out of his pocket, and fed it to the saiyan prince. He avoided feeding him a senzu until then for two reasons. The first, of course, was that if he stopped to let Vegeta recover, the androids might find them. The second reason, and the one Vegeta would never be told, was that Gohan didn't want Vegeta to run off after the androids again. He nearly got killed the first time. Now, with them being thousands of miles away, Gohan knew that Vegeta would never be able to find them now.

"Stupid brat!" Vegeta sputtered. "You denied me my victory. Where are we?" He asked.

"We're at my house…" Gohan said. "I brought you here to make you better." Gohan said.

"Ugh…" Vegeta dragged himself to his feet. "I ought to kill you."

"Maybe, but why don't you rest a minute." Gohan said.

"Then what, do you have a plan?" Vegeta asked. "Where's everybody else?" He asked.

"Ichidou and Krillen took off to destroy the rest of Gero's lab, after that, we're to all meet at Master Roshi's house." Gohan said.

"Why would I want to do that?" Vegeta asked, scowling.

"Well…let me figure out how dad's doing, and I'll let you know."

Gohan secretly crawled over to the window, and peeked his head in. Tien and Yamcha were carefully watching over his father.

Tien suddenly noticed that Gohan was outside, and mumbled something about going to get fresh air to Chi-Chi, who then freed him of his duties.

"Hey Gohan…"

"How' my dad?" Gohan asked.

"He's getting better." Tien said.

"Good…" Gohan said. "Ichidou said everybody ought to go to Master Roshi's house."

"Good idea…" Tien said. "We'll get your dad set up, and we'll bring him over." Tien said.

"Alright…" Gohan said.

Ichidou and Krillen landed at Master Roshi's house. The two of them waited for everyone else. Soon, Gohan arrived. Tien and Yamcha soon followed with Goku and Chi-Chi. Goku was still asleep, but recovering.

Soon, Bulma arrived. "I've got bad news…" She said. "Some weird device was found thousands of miles from here…" She said. "It looked just like your time machine."

"What?" Ichidou said.

"How many time machines did the person that built yours build?" Krillen asked.

"Only one, there weren't enough materials for a second one." Ichidou said.

"What will we do about it?" Krillen asked.

"Simple…" Ichidou said. "We find it…"

"Okay, good, let's go…" Bulma said. "Where's Vegeta?" She said.

"He…took off…" Gohan said. "I think he went to go train."

"That idiot!" She said. Gohan, Krillen, and Ichidou hopped into her plane. "See you guys later!" She said.

A few hours later, they found themselves in the wilderness, searching for the time machine. They searched thoroughly, and finally found it.

"Hey, guys…" Krillen said. "I found it…" he said.

"Hmm…" Bulma said. "Are you sure that there was only one?"

"Yes…" Ichidou said. "See, it still has the same painting on it…" he said. He wiped away the dust, and revealed the word 'Hope'.

"Hope…" Bulma said. "Yours has the same thing?" she asked.

"Yes." Ichidou said.

"Alright, now who used it?" Gohan asked.

"No idea, let's check the computer…" Ichidou said, stepping into it. "According to this, whomever took it left from three years after I did…interesting." He thought for a moment. "I have no idea who could have taken it…"

"What's this?" Krillen asked, suddenly picking something up. "It looks like a big shell."

"Here's another one…" Gohan said. They connected the two. "It's not just a shell…" Gohan said.

"It's an egg." Ichidou finished.

"Oh, my…" Bulma said. "Get over here guys!" She said.

"What the?" Gohan said, suddenly arriving.

"I didn't know bugs got this big…" Krillen said.

"They don't…" Ichidou said. "It's not an insect anyway, it's only got four legs…see?" He pointed at the creature.

"I'd rather not…" Bulma said, looking ill.

"Is it dead?" Gohan asked, looking down.

"No, it was never alive…" Ichidou reached down. "Whatever it was, this is its skin…"

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Bulma said. "That's just a skin!"

"Whatever it was." Ichidou said, standing up. "It was smart enough to operate the time machine, so its clearly not a bug of any kind…"

"Are you sure this is a good idea Piccolo?" Kami asked, suspicious.

"It may be the only way…" Piccolo said.

Suddenly, Kami's eyes went wide. He looked at Piccolo. "Something very powerful, has appeared…" Kami looked at Piccolo. "We need to fuse, we need to become one again. It's the only way to beat it, or at least hold it off…"

"What is it?" Piccolo asked.

"You'll find out once we're one person again." Kami said. And with that, Kami and Piccolo, the God and the Demon, became the Namek without a name once more…


	7. Cell Arrives

The monster had just finished with its latest victim. The clothes, now empty, fell to the ground. It turned around, searching for more people. Suddenly, it felt an extremely powerful ki coming close. Afraid of being killed prematurely, it hid, running from the powerful foe that was coming to destroy it.

He landed. He had been trying to think of what to call himself. He wasn't quite Piccolo, not anymore, and there wasn't a lot of Kami in him either. He would settle the internal struggle another time, whatever Kami had been worried about, was in this very city.

"Where are you?" He asked. It had suppressed its ki, making it very hard to detect. "Whatever you are, you're not too stupid." He turned around, as it came out of an alleyway. "Perhaps I spoke too soon."

Its ki felt like a little bit of everyone he had ever fought against or with, rolled up into the ugliest creature he had ever seen. It looked like a giant green lizard-bug. It was dragging a man by his jacket. The man looked very afraid, as he had every right to be.

Suddenly, the creature's tail whipped out, and the pointy end stuck into the man's back. Piccolo watched, disgusted as this creature used a human as a living juice box. Soon, the man was gone, his clothes the only thing left.

"Hmmm…" The creature looked in his direction. Its eyes were cold, narrow slits, cunning evil lie behind them. "You must be Piccolo. I suggest you run, I am beyond your strength."

Piccolo nearly laughed. "I've been hearing a lot of that lately." Piccolo said. "I'm not exactly like Piccolo. I am the namek who has forgotten his name. I guess you can call me Piccolo, though." He said. "So, beyond my strength, huh?" Piccolo said. "Take a better look at my ki!" He said, suddenly charging at the monster.

The beast tried to stab Piccolo with its tail, but it only hit an after image. It turned around, just in time to get a foot to the face. It was sent flying into a nearby building. Piccolo took this time to remove his turban and cape.

It dragged itself out of the rubble, and glared at the namek. It ran forward, trying to get Piccolo with its tail. Piccolo dodged every attempt, and countered by grabbing a hold of its tail.

"Argghh!" It roared, slamming into the ground. "Why you…" It looked up at Piccolo, who had a hold on its tail. "Aah!" It screamed, as Piccolo ripped the appendage from it. Piccolo kicked the monster into a building, and blasted its tail into dust.

"Looks like I broke your toy…" Piccolo said. "Oops, I should have been more careful." The monster dragged itself to its feet.

"How stupid are you…" It growled. "That hurt, I'll admit that, but I'm made of your genetic material! Surely you noticed that." After a few moments, its tail grew back out.

"Clever trick." Piccolo said, glaring,

The monster rushed, attacking Piccolo. Piccolo blocked, countered, and was winning the fight in general. It came at his head with a kick, which Piccolo dodged easily. Piccolo cursed his stupidity as the tail came back around and stabbed him in the arm. "AAH!" Piccolo grimaced in pain. Luckily, it only got his arm.

"Hmmm…" It said. "I only got your arm." He shrugged. "No matter, I'll just absorb you from it." Slowly, Piccolo felt his arm shrivel up into a useless appendage. Thinking quickly, he slammed the back of his head into its face. The monster fell back. It was about to charge forward when Piccolo spoke.

"It's clear that you've defeated me. I can only use one arm." Piccolo said. "What are you, where did you come from?"

"My name is Cell." He said. "I came from the future, and I came to absorb the androids." It said. "I was constructed by Dr. Gero, but the project took too long, so he put me on automation. I was constructed with the purpose of absorbing androids Seventeen and Eighteen. Once I absorb them, I will become perfect."

Piccolo reached up, and ripped his own arm off. Soon, another replaced it. "That's not going to happen." He said.

"You tricked me!" Cell exclaimed.

"You ought to have known better…" Piccolo said, smirking. "You do have my genetics, remember?" He almost felt like laughing, almost. "Now, die!" He yelled.

"Solar Flare!" Cell suddenly yelled.

Piccolo was blinded, and after a few minutes, his eyesight returned. Cell was gone, vanished into thin air. Piccolo thought to himself. He could either go and search for Cell, or he could return to Master Rosh's house to notify everyone else of Cell's existence. He realized that everybody else needed to know.

After an hour or so, Piccolo landed on the island. Krillen, Gohan, Tien, Ichidou and Yamcha all looked up. Vegeta arrived moments later. Piccolo used the opportunity to tell everyone about the new threat.

"So, we should probably keep this Cell character away from the androids." Ichidou said.

"You said that Cell knew how to suppress its ki?" Krillen asked.

"Yes, after it took off, I couldn't track it anymore." Piccolo said. "It's powerful, but still weaker than myself."

"I will go and defeat this, Cell!" Vegeta said. "After allowing it to get to the androids, of course."

"You can't even handle Cell's first form, Vegeta. Not to mention how powerful it will be once it has absorbed the androids." Piccolo said.

"Are you suggesting that you are stronger than me?" Vegeta asked, anger in his voice.

"That's what I'm telling you." Piccolo.

"Hi everybody!" A voice said.

"Goku!" Krillen said. "You're awake!" The saiyan hero was standing in the doorway, listening the whole time.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Gohan asked his father.

"Yes, I'm fine." Goku said, smiling. "The virus is gone." He looked up at Piccolo. "I heard everything. Since you're the only one that's seen them all in action, who's a bigger threat, the androids, or Cell?"

"Right now, the androids are still stronger." Ichidou cut in. "I can sense how powerful they are."

"You can?" Goku asked. "Wow, you'll need to teach me how to do that someday…" he said.

"Maybe…" Ichidou said. "Anyway, it's clear that the androids are still stronger than Cell. But, if he keeps absorbing humans, he'll eventually be able to beat them."

"Why would he wait for that?" Tien asked.

"Think about it. He needs to absorb them, right? If he shows up to do that, and they're stronger, they'll kill him before he can even get close. He sounds like a cautious fighter. You said that he's been scurrying around for four years?"

"That's what Kami said before we became one person." Piccolo said.

"He sounds like the kind of person that won't fight unless he knows he's the stronger one." Yamcha said.

"Exactly, which means he'll evade us for as long as he can." Goku said. "We need to get stronger, and fast." He said.

'"How?" Gohan said.

"Up in Kami's lookout, there's a special room called the Room of Spirit and Time. In that room, one year passes for every day out here." he said. "You can get one year's training in a single day."

"Hmph…" Vegeta said. "I'm going up there to use it." he said.

"Vegeta, wait." Goku said.

"What is it, Kakkarot?"

"The room can only be used for two days at a time, otherwise the door will disappear and you'll be stuck inside." Goku said.

"Fine…" Suddenly, he took off.

Goku was about to leave, when Ichidou walked up. "Here, Goku, take this…" He handed Goku a small device.

"What is it?" Goku asked.

"It can supress your ki to the point where no one can sense you." He said. "Use it, because the androids are only after you. You can't handle them yet."

"Thanks, Ichidou." Goku said, and with that, he disappeared.

Ichidou began to look around. "Guys, I found the androids…" he said.

"So?" Piccolo said.

"I'm going to warn them about Cell." he said.

"Good luck…" Yamcha said. "You'll need it."


	8. Piccolo VS Seventeen

It didn't take long to find the androids. The three of them were casually wandering around a mall, Eighteen was looking for new clothes. Ichidou turned on his ki distorter, and landed a few hundred yards away. He walked into the mall, and casually stepped up to the androids. He turned the ki distorter back to Ichidou mode.

"Who are you?" Seventeen asked.

"I am a friend of Son Goku." Ichidou said. "I do not wish to fight." He said.

"Than what do you want?" Eighteen asked.

"There is an android who calls himself Cell." Ichidou said. "This android has set out to take the two of you into himself. He called it 'absorbing'. If he does this, not only will you not be around anymore, but it will make him so powerful that he may end up killing us all." He explained.

"Why should we care?" Eighteen asked. Knowing that the two of them hated Dr. Gero with a passion, Ichidou came up with the only answer he could think of.

"He's one of Gero's creations, and he likes the fact." Ichidou said.

"Where is he?" Seventeen asked, anger in his voice.

"Some of my allies are trying to kill him while we speak." Ichidou turned to Eighteen. "He's apparently going to absorb enough innocent civilians to make himself stronger than the two of you. Luckily, he can't sense you any better than any of us can, so you should be able to stay away from him until we kill him."

"Why are you helping us?" Seventeen said.

"Well…" Ichidou said. "You really haven't killed anyone, and the last thing we need is another evil being that's going to try to kill us all." He shrugged, and was about to leave.

"Thank you." Eighteen said. With that, Ichidou left. Seventeen gave her a look that would kill. "What, he may have just saved our lives."

"Whatever…" Seventeen said with a shrug.

Ichidou headed for Kami's lookout, to see Goku. As he was flying

"Hey, Ichidou!" Goku said.

"Hello, Goku." Ichidou looked over towards the Room of Spirit and Time. "Is Vegeta…"

"Yup, he's still in there…" Goku said with a shrug.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll just sit up here and wait with you." Ichidou said.

Elsewhere, Piccolo was meditating inside Master Roshi's house. He suddenly heard a knock at the door. He wasn't going to answer it, so Yamcha went to the door instead.

"Hello…OH CRAP!" Yamcha suddenly yelled. "P-Piccolo, it's the androids."

"What?" Piccolo said, walking towards the door.

"Hello, Piccolo." Seventeen said. "Where is Son Goku."

"I don't know." Piccolo said.

"Tell me…" Seventeen said, threateningly. "Or I will kill you."

"Come on, if you want to fight, let's go to a nearby island." Piccolo growled.

"Fine." Seventeen said.

They flew over to a deserted island. Tien and Yamcha came along, but not for any good reason. Seventeen readied himself for the battle.  
Piccolo descended slowly, checking the surroundings. Upon landing, he removed his turban and cape, and allowed them to hit the ground with a thud. The two items slammed into the ground, and created a small crater. Seventeen's eyes widened, revealing a hint of fear for only a moment. Good, Piccolo thought, let them see how much weight I carry around.

"So, are you going to stand there all day, or are you going to fight me?" Piccolo said.

"Eighteen, stand back. I want to take on the green man myself."

"Fine, do what you want, Sixteen and I'll just stand back and watch."

Seventeen lunged towards Piccolo, death in his eyes.

Ichidou's head shot up. He concentrated for a moment.

"What?" Goku asked.

"Piccolo is fighting android Seventeen." Ichidou said.

"I see…" Goku said.

Seventeen recovered, but only fast enough to see Piccolo's fist slam into his face. He bounced back, recovered, and then charged at the namek. He zipped behind Piccolo, hoping to catch him off guard. Seventeen's foot only met with an after image.

"What?" He said. Suddenly, Piccolo was above him, and kicking him in the face. After bouncing around for a few seconds, Seventeen got up. He glared at Piccolo, who hadn't moved.

"Come on, boy." Piccolo said. "Or are you afraid?"

Seventeen charged, and kicked at Piccolo's head. Knowing that he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, Piccolo brought his arm up to block. Piccolo only blocked an after image.

"What the?" Piccolo said. Suddenly, Seventeen kicked his feet out from underneath him. Piccolo bounced back, and stood up. Seventeen took to the air.

Piccolo charged again. Seventeen began to shoot small ki blasts, trying to hit him. Piccolo would not be denied, however, as he dodged each blast expertly. Piccolo leaped into the air, coming at Seventeen full force.

"Poor namek…" Seventeen chuckled, and fired a huge ki blast at Piccolo. "Too stupid and slow…" Suddenly, he was sent rocketing out of the air. He hit the ground, creating a small crater. "Argh…" he said, dragging himself to his feet.

"Poor android…" Piccolo smirked. Seventeen stood up, and glared at his foe. He took off, ready to attack Piccolo again. "Hellzone Grenade!" Piccolo shouted.

Suddenly, Seventeen stopped. He looked around, just in time to see dozens of ki blasts slam into him. He plummeted out of the air, wracked with pain, and slammed into the ground.

Piccolo landed. "Too stupid and slow…" he said with a smirk. "I know you're not dead…" He said. "Drag yourself out of that crater and let's continue our fight!"

"Holy Kami!" Yamcha said. "Piccolo's kicking his butt!"

"No, no he's not…" Tien said. "Piccolo may be stronger, and yes, he is the superior fighter. But Seventeen isn't running out of energy." He looked up at Piccolo. "Piccolo is, though."

"We've got to warn him…"

"He already knows." Tien said. "That's why he's trying to finish him off as fast as possible. Piccolo knows that if he kills Seventeen, than Cell cannot achieve his perfect form." He looked at Yamcha. "These androids may be stronger than the one's from Ichidou's time, but they don't seem to be any more dangerous."

Meanwhile, a certain insect shaped android was sneaking up behind Seventeen. "Seventeen, look out!" Piccolo shouted.

"What the?" Seventeen said, dodging. He turned to face Cell. "You must be Cell…" He said.

"What, I see you've heard of me." Cell said.

"Let's just say I was warned about you." Seventeen said.

"Whoever warned you is awfully smart." Cell said. "Why don't you just stand still, so I can put you to good use!" He said. Suddenly, Cell's tail began to dart around, trying to absorb Seventeen.

"Hey, Cell!" Piccolo shouted, running up to them. "Don't forget about me!" He said. Cell fired a ki blast at Piccolo, trying to destroy him. He realized his mistake when he felt a powerful ki blast coming from behind. Cell got up, and ran. He suppressed his ki, so they didn't know where he went.

"Why are you helping me?" Seventeen asked.

"I don't want him to get you anymore than you want to be gotten." Piccolo said. "Run."

"Please…" Seventeen said. "Step aside, so I can take care of him."

"Are you an idiot?" Piccolo said. "He's not going to fight you, he's going to absorb you!"

"Whatever…" Seventeen walked out into the open. "Come on out, Cell, I know you're still here!" He shouted.

"Of course I am!" Cell said, coming up from behind Seventeen. Seventeen was helpless, as he was soon absorbed. "Piccolo." He said, turning to the namek. "I suppose you want a rematch?" he said.

Piccolo knew that Cell was now too strong for him, but Eighteen needed to be able to escape. "You would be right." Piccolo said, going into a fighting stance.

"Hmm…" Cell said, chuckling. "I've gotten more powerful since our last fight." He said. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." With that, the battle began.

A/N Thanks for the reviews. Next chapter is where the action really heats up!


	9. Salvation and Revelation

Cell looked very different. Instead of an insect, Cell looked more like a frog. Still ugly as sin, Piccolo thought. Piccolo knew that Cell was more powerful than him, but Eighteen was still nearby, and Piccolo wasn't going to let the strongest foe they had ever fought achieve its most powerful form. That's Vegeta's job, he thought to himself.

Cell came at him full bore, and Piccolo was ready. He began to throw blows at the namek, and Piccolo blocked them all. At first, Piccolo wasn't sure that Cell had become much more powerful at all. But soon, he was proven wrong.

Cell knocked Piccolo away, and was on top of him, ready to kill, before he could recover. Piccolo was struggling to stay alive.

Elsewhere, Ichidou was following the fight with his senses. "Piccolo!" he said.

"Ichidou, what are you doing?" Goku asked.

"If the fight continues like this, Piccolo will die." Ichidou said, and with that, he left.

Cell had Piccolo by his shirt, preparing the final blow. Piccolo was helpless, and felt more angry than he ever had in his life. Not even Raditz overwhelmed him so easily. Cell grabbed Piccolo from behind, and began to crush his ribs. Piccolo roared in pain, but was helpless in Cell's grasp.

Suddenly, Cell's crushing strength lessened, and Piccolo burst out of his grip and landed on the ground nearby. He pulled himself to his feet, and stared at the sight before him.

Ichidou had grabbed Cell from behind, and was pulling him into a vice like grip. Ichidou was somehow paralyzing the android. Piccolo was trying to figure out how it worked. Ichidou wasn't stronger than Cell, in fact, at the moment, he wasn't even stronger than Piccolo. How, then was he paralyzing him? The answer came soon enough. He let go, and Cell fell to the ground.

Ichidou's left hand was uncovered. Piccolo stared. It was the same jewel-like device that had been in the palms of Nineteen and Twenty! Was Ichidou an android? Who was he.

"How did you…" Cell said, standing up. "What did you do to me?" He asked. He was weakened, by a lot.

"In my time…" Ichidou said. "My left arm was destroyed by android Seventeen. Shortly after, one of my fellow survivors told me that they discovered the android blueprints. That person then constructed a new arm, exactly like the arms that were built for Nineteen and Twenty. One of the new features of my limb, was an energy draining device exactly like the one they used." He glared at Cell. "Thanks to the power I stole from you, I'm now far stronger than you are." he said. "I think I'll kill you now."

"You'll pay for that!" Cell shouted, flying at his foe. He pulled his arm back, and punched. Ichidou caught his hand with his android arm, and began to drain even more energy. "I'll kill you!" He shouted, and kicked himself out of Ichidou's grasp.

Ichidou put his glove back on. "It's over, Cell." he said. "I have you." Cell charged.

He punched Ichidou, who moved behind him. He swung behind him, only to hit yet another after image. Ichidou was now above him. He kicked Cell in the head, and sent him flying into the ground. Cell recovered, and growled. "You will die!" He screamed, and began to charge at Ichidou.

"KA…" Ichidou said, pulling his hands back. Cell wasn't paying any attention. "ME…" Cell continued to charge, as Ichidou prepared the attack. "HA…" Ichidou continued. Cell, at this point, noticed that Ichidou was preparing a Ka-me-ha-me-ha. "ME…" Cell after imaged, trying to catch Ichidou off guard from above. "HA!" He shouted. Suddenly, Cell realized that Ichidou had redirected his hands upward.

The blast hit him full force, and carried him into the air. Piccolo stood by, amazed at how powerful the Ka-me-ha-me-ha was. Cell was lost in a sea of bright light. When the light faded, Cell was nowhere to be found. "His ki…" Ichidou said. "It's gone." He turned to Piccolo, and smiled. "I did it!" He was exhausted, and had used up all the energy he stole from Cell, but he did it.

Piccolo walked over to Ichidou, ready to congratulate the man on his victory. "You did a good job. Who taught you the Ka-me-ha-me-ha?" He asked.

"I wasn't really taught it…" he said. "One of the other survivors showed it to me, and I just picked it up." He said.

The two of them stood there for a few minutes, trying to figure out how to tell Goku and Vegeta about the problem of Cell being destroyed. They both agreed that the two of them would probably have preferred to do the job themselves.

"That's the problem with people like you." A voice cut in. "You think that just because your foe disappears, that he's dead." It looked kind of like Cell. "I just took the opportunity to run off and find our little android friend." He said. "She wasn't too happy to find out that her brother was gone." He smirked. "But that's okay, they're together now."

"NO!" Ichidou said, charging. "I will kill you!" he screamed, coming at Cell full force.

"Fool!" Cell caught him in mid air. "Did you really think that you'd be able to compete with the full force of my perfect body?" He slammed Ichidou into the ground. Ichidou got back up, and charged at Cell again.

Cell grabbed Ichidou, swung him around, and snapped his android arm in two. "AAAH!" Ichidou screamed. He jumped back. His arm was only held in place by his skin. He ripped his sleeve off, and tied his arm into a makeshift sling. He prepared to attack again, when Cell appeared behind him.

"Nighty night, saiyan…" Cell said, and with that, he knocked Ichidou out cold.

Suddenly, Vegeta appeared. "Cell!" He roared. "I am Vegeta, and I am here to challenge you!" He shouted.

"Hmph." Cell said. "You're not strong enough."

"What, I'll make you pay for that!" Vegeta roared. He attacked. Unfortunately for Vegeta, Cell wasn't in a playful mood. He charged at Cell, and punched him in the face.

Cell flew back, but recovered soon. He came at Vegeta as fast as he could. Vegeta fired ki blasts off, but Cell dodged them all. He flew up close to the prince, and got within inches of his face.

"You…" He said. Vegeta swung for his face, but only met an after image. "Are…" Cell said from behind him. Vegeta swung around, but Cell wasn't there again. "Not…" Cell said, this time from above. Vegeta aimed upwards, hoping to blast the android. "Strong enough!" Cell suddenly said. Vegeta looked up to see Cell's foot slam into his face. Vegeta slammed into the ground. Cell descended, and looked at the prince.

"He should be dead…" Cell said. "Pity, I was hoping for more of a fight." He looked at the battered Piccolo. "Vegeta was much stronger than I anticipated. How did he get so strong?" He asked. Piccolo just stared at him. "No answer?" Cell asked. "Very well." He said. "Answer me this…do you think that he could get even stronger? I mean, if he got so strong in such a short amount of time, maybe if I give you all even more time, you might put up a fight." Cell suggested.

"Yes…" Piccolo said. "Give us time to get stronger, and we will challenge you." he said.

"Does ten days sound sufficient?" Cell asked. "Ten days then. I give you all ten days to get strong enough to provide me with a challenge."

"Where…" Piccolo said.

"When I figure out the exact time and location, I will let you know via television." he smirked. And with that, he flew up. Piccolo knew not to provoke him, he was far beyond him.

Piccolo turned to the other two, both of them unconscious. He walked over to Vegeta, and threw the saiyan over his shoulder, not paying attention to how gently he did it. He started to walk over towards Ichidou. He stared at the unconscious warrior. It couldn't be, it just couldn't. Something was different, Ichidou's ki didn't feel like Ichidou anymore, it felt like…

"Gohan?" Piccolo said, and he walked over towards the fallen saiyan. "This is going to be hard to explain. Where should I take them." He thought. "Ichid…" he caught himself. "Gohan needs that mechanical arm of his repaired, and Vegeta needs healing." He looked down at Vegeta. "No, he really doesn't, he was only knocked out. So I guess I'll head over to that old man's house. I'll get that Bulma woman to look at Gohan's arm, she's good with machines."

"Wait!" A voice said.

"Who are you?" It was a rather tall man, with red hair.

"I am, android Sixteen. I wish to help you stop Cell. You just said you know someone who can fix machines?" he asked.

"Yes I did…" Piccolo said.

"Good, because I need repairs." And with that, the android collapsed. His head was caved in, but it didn't look like he'd been hurt too badly.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have someone else pick you up." Piccolo said to the unconscious android. "I only have two arms." Piccolo took off for the old man's house, trying to think of a way to explain to everyone that he was holding Gohan in his arms, even though he was currently off training with his father…


	10. technical Difficulties

He struggled to consciousness. His eyes opened, and he looked around. His arm, his fake arm, wasn't attached. He tried to sit up, but a gentle, strong hand pushed him back down.

"Lie back down, Gohan." It was Bulma.

"Hi, Bulma…" He said. "Sorry I broke my new arm…" He said.

"Be quiet, Gohan, and go back to sleep." She said.

"Hey, it's not my fault…" He said.

"Listen to Bulma…Gohan." It was Piccolo, with anger in his voice. It couldn't be Piccolo, Piccolo was dead. Then it hit him. He was still in the past. He remembered it all. Going back in time, fighting the androids, going down to save Piccolo, nearly getting killed by Cell. He realized that they had called him Gohan. This wasn't good.

Suddenly, something filled his veins. It was knocking him unconscious. He let sleep take him, not that the medicine was giving him any choice.

"Gohan?" The voice said. This time, it was Goku. "Is that really you?" Gohan struggled to speak, but he was so out of it, that he couldn't respond. "Why didn't you trust me with your secret?" Goku asked. Goku knew that his son couldn't respond. "Gohan, Ichidou, whoever you are…" Goku said. "As soon as your conscious, we need to talk."

Gohan sat up in bed, and looked around. He was alone in the room, he was somewhere at Capsule Corp. He looked around, trying to decide whether or not he should try to get out of the bed. He realized that he wasn't wearing much except for a hospital gown. He decided that, since he didn't know where his gi was and that he didn't want to walk around with his rear end hanging out, that he should just lie back down and wait for someone to come in.

He didn't have to wait very long. Bulma herself walked into the room, and looked at him, worried. "Are you okay?" She asked. "How do you feel?"

"Why did I end up here?" Gohan asked. "Why didn't you just stick a Senzu in my mouth and get it over with?"

"First of all, you have only been in here for one day, so you haven't missed much time. Second…" She paused. "You have no idea what happened to you, do you?" She asked.

"No…what?" He asked.

"You had a problem." She said. "The problem is that the arm isn't exactly built to handle turning the energy source the androids use into ki. At least, not in high amounts. They are similar in function, but they are completely different. The damage the arm did to your body was extensive. It wasn't a matter of sticking a senzu in your mouth. In fact, we tried that, and it didn't bring you back around. In order for your body to convert the energy into ki, the arm sent tiny nanomachines into your body to serve as converters. These nanomachines were slowly but surely replacing cells in your body." She said. "To put it bluntly, your arm was slowly turning you into an android."

"What? I don't understand it, she should have caught that." He said.

"Who is this 'she', I take it that you are referring to the future version of me? I'm sorry, Gohan, but did I age gracefully?" She asked. "Am I still pretty?" She said. "I'm sorry." She said. "It wasn't something that she could have 'caught'. It was so well integrated into the system that _I _couldn't have caught it. I nearly didn't. The only reason I know any of this is because I had the doctors check your body for any signs of damage. When they showed me your blood through the microscope, it scared me half to death." She looked at Gohan. "You've been lying in that bed for the past ten hours, while a machine I built to take out the nanomachines has been slowly filtering your blood out, and back in, clean of machines. I based the design off of a dialysis machine." She said. "I'm going to check…" She looked over to a machine. "Yup, you're completely machine free." She smiled. "I'm going to tell everybody that you're okay. Expect some visitors." She began to walk out.

"Bulma!" Gohan said.

"What?" She said.

"Just to let you know, you're still pretty in the future." He said, smiling.

"Glad that somebody thinks so!" She said, and with that, she walked out.

Goku walked into the room a few minutes later. He was wearing Saiyan armor, which was pretty beat up. It seemed that he rushed down to check up on him, as soon as he found out that he had regained consciousness.

The two of them sat there, for what seemed like hours. Gohan didn't know what to say. This was his father. He realized that he had been hiding behind Ichidou, behind his alias. He didn't want to confront his father, he didn't want to become that little, helpless boy again. It was then that he realized that his father was in tears. He needed to say something.

Goku stared at his son. It sounded funny to say that, but it was true. He remembered the day, three years ago, when he sparred with Ichidou. He suspected that it was Gohan, but, his son wouldn't lie to him, would he?

"Hello, father." Gohan said, finally. Goku looked up, and began to study his son.

"Hi, Gohan." Goku said.

"I want to explain…" Gohan said.

Goku smiled. "You don't have to explain anything. You didn't want to hurt the future, I understand." He said. He got up and walked over to Gohan. "You're really strong, Gohan. I'm so proud of you." He said.

"I'm sorry…" Gohan said.

"Don't apologize either." Goku said. "Promise me one thing."

"What?" Gohan asked.

"Once Bulma's finished with your new arm, you owe me a hug." Goku said.

"Okay…" Gohan said.

Goku got up, and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Gohan let it all out. All of the pain, the sadness, the fear, all out at once. "I'm not a kid anymore." Gohan said, regaining his composure. He looked over to his bedside, and saw a box of tissues. He had better clean himself up, because he was sure he would have more visitors.


	11. Gohan's tale

Bulma came in a few minutes after Goku left. She had a senzu. He ate the bean eagerly, knowing that this meant that he would be back in action soon. She also had his new arm.

This arm was based on the technology used to build android Sixteen. It had its own battery system that operated independently from his body. It responded to Gohan's mental commands like his other arm did. Gohan tested the ki possibilities by generating a tiny ball. As he expected, it wasn't ki.

"This arm…" Bulma said. "This one won't turn you into an android." She shook her head. "Your Bulma couldn't have known about the nanomachines. I know because even after I found out, it was hard to pin down what was doing it. That's why I couldn't just repair your existing arm, I don't know how to take the nanomachine generator out without disabling the arm completely." She left the room so he could get dressed.

He walked over to the dresser that had his clothes on it. There were several outfits, one was his own gi, the one that he got from his own time line. His boots were sitting on the ground. The gloves were sitting on top of the shirt, which was on top of the pants. Then, he saw the other outfits.

One was one of Piccolo's, with the cape, another, was one of Goku's standard orange gi's. Next to that, to his surprise, was a suit of saiyan armor. He realized that Piccolo, his father, and even Vegeta were inviting him to dress like them. He remembered that he liked to dress like whomever was teaching him at the time. He struggled to figure out how to dress, and then, it hit him. He smiled, got dressed, and looked at himself in the mirror.

He looked pretty good, he thought. His gi was orange, and he was wearing his old, blue undershirt, with the long sleeves. He had Piccolo's cape, and Vegeta's gloves and boots. He felt that this was a good way to dress.

Nearly everyone was sitting there. He looked around, and didn't know what to say. No one was looking at him. He was afraid that they were angry at him. He tried to read their faces, but he couldn't.

"Hello, Gohan." Krillen said. "Nice to meet you." he chuckled. Everyone laughed at his joke.

"I was wondering what you were going to do, Gohan." Piccolo said. "My cape, your dad's outfit, and Vegeta's gloves and boots." he smirked. "Nice way to avoid stepping on toes. I want you to understand that we all know why you didn't tell us who you really were." Everyone spoke an agreement, even Vegeta.

"Do, I, know? What about my mother, does she?" Gohan asked.

"You mean the younger you?" Krillen asked. "Yeah, he knows." He laughed. "As for your mother, we decided it was best not to tell her. You know how your mother is."

"So mom thinks…" Gohan asked.

"Your mother thinks that you are a saiyan warrior from the far, far future. We told her that you were Gohan's grandson, but that you don't remember anything about anybody alive here." Bulma said. "That, seemed to sedate her, at least a little."

"He saved your life, in fact." Bulma said, walking out. "He was the one who noticed that you weren't just hurt." She said.

"How is he?" he turned to Piccolo.

"He's off in the Room of Spirit and Time." Piccolo said. "He's training with, your father."

"I understand." Gohan said.

"So, what should we call you?" Yamcha asked.

"Hmm, in order to avoid confusion, call me Ichidou when the little me is around." He said. Everyone agreed. "How long have they been in the Room?" Gohan asked.

"Only a few minutes. They won't be coming out until the day after next." Piccolo said.

"I don't just want to sit here." Gohan said. "Anybody want to spar?" He asked.

"I don't think so, young man!" Bulma said. "I want you to relax, at _least _until your dad and…" She paused. "the little you, come out of the Room."

"Okay." Gohan said.

"Gohan…" Piccolo said.

"What?" he asked.

"I want to talk to you." He said.

"Okay…" Gohan said.

The two of them flew off, far out of earshot, and far away from anyone who would be interested in hearing.

"What do you want?" Gohan asked.

"I want to know as much about the future as you can tell me." Piccolo said.

"It's useless information to you. You were dead by now in my time." Gohan said.

"I already knew that. I just want to know what the me from your world was like. I also want to know what happened, if you think you can stand to tell me."

"You want to know how everyone died." Gohan said.

"If you think it would be too hard…" Piccolo said.

"No, it wouldn't…" Gohan said. "Because it's not going to happen to you."

"Begin, then." Piccolo said.

"It all started…" Gohan began. The memories came flooding back.

Chi-Chi and Gohan were watching television. Gohan, as usual, was trying to study. Chi-Chi was watching some cooking show when a newsbreak cut in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt…" The news broadcaster broke in. "Something terrible is happening." he said. Chi-Chi looked up. "Two powerful beings, they look like teenagers. They are tearing a city apart. The king has launched his full military force, but they aren't being effective. We go now to our on the spot reporter."

Gohan looked up. "This is complete anarchy." The reporter said. "They are shooting everything they can, but it doesn't look like anything is working." Gohan got up.

"Where do you think your going, Gohan?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Mother, I have to go!" Gohan shouted. "Don't try to stop me!" He said. Gohan sounded so fierce that he managed to get away from her.

At seven years old, Gohan's life was about to come crashing down. He flew as fast as he could. Soon, he felt Piccolo's and Krillen's kis. He landed next to them. He looked down, where Vegeta was fighting. He had jumped in, without waiting for the others. Tien, Yamcha, and Chaoutzu soon arrived. Suddenly, Vegeta yelled out.

"RUN! I CAN'T STOP THEM!" He shouted. Suddenly, he was knocked through a building. They watched in horror as the androids destroyed the building, and everything inside.

"Stupid saiyan, like a warning would have done any good." Seventeen said.

"VEGETA!" Gohan screamed, tears down his face. Suddenly, the androids saw them. "Oh, no…"

"Piccolo!" Tien shouted. "Grab Gohan and run!" He said.

"But what about…" Piccolo said.

"Never mind us!" Yamcha shouted. "You can always gather the dragonballs! We'll hold them off for as long as we can!"

"NO, I WON'T LET YOU DIE!" Gohan screamed. Suddenly, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his neck.

"Sorry little buddy…" Krillen said as Gohan faded out of consciousness. "I guess I'll see you in the afterlife." There was no hope in his voice, only fear and despair.

"They died so I could save you?" Piccolo said.

"Yes, and Vegeta was killed because he warned us." Gohan said.

"Please, continue." Piccolo said.

"Okay." Gohan said.

Gohan sat up, and looked at Piccolo. "Where's Krillen?" He asked, standing up. "Where's Yamcha, and Tien?" He looked around. "Where's Chaoutzu?"

"They're all…" Piccolo said. Gohan had never seen his teacher that close to tears. "They, killed them."

"NO!" Gohan said. "NO, that can't be!" he began to cry.

"Calm down, Gohan." Piccolo said. "We'll stop them, okay?" Piccolo hugged Gohan. He wasn't one for affection, but the child's life had just been ruined. Gohan looked up at his teacher. He really believed that Piccolo could stop them.

"Then what happened?" Piccolo asked.

"I…don't want to…" Gohan said. "But I will." He looked into his teacher's eyes.

A few days later, Piccolo was out in the wilderness with Gohan, trying to train him. He was getting very close to Goku's power before he became a super saiyan. Piccolo was getting stronger too, and the two of them kept fighting and training, day in and day out.

On the fourth day after the event happened, the androids found them. Piccolo heard them coming from hundreds of yards away. He walked over to Gohan.

"Run." he told the boy.

"NO, I won't let you die!" Gohan said.

"Boy, I said run! If you don't the world is doomed. You're our only hope!"

"I won't run." Gohan said, stoutly.

"I figured you wouldn't." Piccolo said. "Now, when I say go, I want you to move to the left over there, so we can ambush them from the sides."

"Okay!" Gohan shouted.

"Go!" Piccolo shouted. Gohan started to run, but Piccolo hit him to knock him out before he could get very far.

Gohan awoke, and sat up. "Mr. Piccolo?" He got up, and looked over. His body froze, paralyzed. He saw a giant crater, he didn't want to go down into the bottom, but he forced himself to. He crawled down into the dark pit.

There, in the center of the pit, was a tiny scrap of Piccolo's cape. Gohan searched vainly for evidence of Piccolo. He tried to find his ki. He couldn't, Piccolo was dead.

"MR. PICCOLO!" Gohan roared. Power erupted from his body, he could feel the changes overcome him. His hair shot up, and turned gold. His eyes became a turquoise. "IF I DIE TRYING, I SWEAR THAT I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Gohan roared, anger flowed through him.

"That's what happened." Gohan said. He was nearly crying.

"I see…" Piccolo said, nodding. "I understand." Gohan was a mess. He was struggling not to cry. Piccolo smiled, and looked down at what would have been his pupil. "Gohan…" he said. "I think that he would have been very proud of you." Piccolo said. "I know I am."

"I should have…" Gohan said.

"Saved us?" Piccolo said. "You said it yourself, you were only seven. You weren't old enough, you weren't strong enough."

"I…" Gohan said. "I missed you so much…" he threw his arms around his mentor. Piccolo didn't know what to do, so he just hugged him back.

"Calm down, Gohan…" Piccolo said. Gohan let go, and began to even out his breathing.

"Sorry about that…" Gohan said.

"Don't worry about it, kid." Piccolo said. "Consider it part of my debt for you saving the world." he ruffled up Gohan's hair.

"You know why I was able to tell you that, Piccolo?" Gohan said.

"Why?" Piccolo asked.

"Because it's not going to happen to you." He said. "You're not going to get killed, and neither is anyone else." He smiled.

"You're right." Piccolo said. "Shall we go back?" Piccolo asked.

"Good idea, I'm hungry." Gohan said.

A/N: Sorry about the extra long and extra sad chapter. Thanks for the reviews everyone! I promise I'll thank you individually once I finish the story.


	12. Training Days

After he spent all the time resting that Bulma insisted on, Gohan and Piccolo headed up to Kami's lookout, where they would wait for Goku and the younger Gohan to finish their training.

They waited for a good hour or so before Goku and Gohan stepped out of the Room of Spirit and Time. Gohan didn't know what to say about his younger self. He looked a little bit older, he thought to himself. It was then that he realized that both Goku and his younger self were super saiyans.

"Hi, Gohan, or would you rather be called Ichidou?" Goku said.

"Call me Ichidou, we don't want anyone to get confused." Ichidou said.

"Okay." Goku said. "Gohan, I'd like you to meet…" Goku said. "Yourself?"

The boy looked up at the man. "That's what I'm going to look like when I get older?" Gohan asked. Ichidou studied his younger self, knowing that the boy would never have to deal with the problems that had plagued himself.

"No…" Ichidou said. "Because you're not going to have to deal with the same things I've had to."

"Okay." Gohan said.

"So, you're going in next?" Goku asked Ichidou.

"Piccolo's training with me." Ichidou said.

"Wow, maybe you'll get stronger." Goku said.

"Maybe…" Piccolo said.

The two of them walked into the Room of Spirit and Time. They started out with basic stretches and exercises. After making sure that they were nice and limber, the two of them began to spar…

Krillen was watching the television when suddenly Cell's face appeared. "AAH!" Krillen shouted, he began to pant.

"Greetings, friends." he began. "My name is Cell. In seven days, I will hold a special martial arts tournament called the Cell Games. Any and all fighters who think they can challenge me are welcome to come after me." He said. "If no one is strong enough to defeat me…" He said. "I will destroy the earth." He then proceeded to give the directions.

"Better tell Goku…" Krillen said, taking off for Kami's lookout.

After relaying the story, Goku nodded. "As I thought." he said. "Well…" he looked to his son. "I say we relax for a few hours." The two of them flew back to Master Roshi's house.

When Piccolo and Ichidou finally came out of the Room of Spirit and Time, Vegeta was waiting, impatient. Ichidou's hair had grown quite long, as long as his younger self's hair had been before he went into the Room of Spirit and Time.

"It's about time, taking Piccolo in there was a waste." Vegeta scowled.

Piccolo looked over at Vegeta, and smirked. "Here, Vegeta, see how heavy I made my turban." He took the hat off and tossed to Vegeta.

"Fine." Vegeta said. "OOF!" He grunted. "Argh!" After a few seconds, he was able to hold it up without any major problems. "You're wearing this on your head?" Vegeta asked, handing it back to Piccolo.

"The cape weighs about five of those." Piccolo said. Vegeta turned around, and walked into the Room of Spirit and Time.

"Hi, Piccolo!" Goku said, suddenly appearing. "WOW!" He said. "You two are much, much stronger than you were before. Hey, Ichidou, do you want me to get Bulma to cut your hair?"

Ichidou shook his head. "Nah, I like it the way it is."

"Be honest with us Goku, we aren't strong enough to handle Cell, are we?"

"No, but neither am I." Goku said. Piccolo stared at him. Why was Goku so smug? "I didn't come up here to talk." He said. "Cell has destroyed the army, and now we have a problem." Goku said. "I'm going to go to New Namek to get us a new Kami!" He said. "That way, we can bring back anyone who dies." Piccolo nodded.

"Well…" Goku said. "Since I can't find out where they are on my own, I'll go to Kaio-sama and ask him!" he said.

"Wait!" Ichidou said. "Dad, do you think Kaio-sama can give you directions?"

"Why would I…" Goku smiled. "I see, I'll ask him."

After about ten minutes, Goku reappeared, this time with a small namekian boy. "Here, Ichidou, here's directions to the planet." Ichidou smiled, and took the small slip of paper.

"Gohan?" Dende asked. "I knew that humans matured faster than nameks but…"

"No." Ichidou said. "I came from the future, to save the world here." Dende nodded.

Soon, Shenron was restored and the dragonballs returned to the way they were. Goku flew around the world, searching for the new dragonballs. After he found them, he returned to the lookout, where they put them in a jar to await the end of the Cell games. Goku decided to visit Cell.

The android was standing in the center of a huge stone ring like the one they used at the Budokai tournament. "Son Goku…" Cell said, turning around. "Checking up on the competition?" The android asked.

"You might say that." Goku said. "What do you want?"

"Want?" Cell asked. "Nothing. I want nothing. I only want to test my limitations." He said. "I only want to prove that I am the strongest and most perfect being in the universe." Goku nodded, understanding. Goku left him there, standing, waiting. He returned to his wife and son, spending the remainder of his time with his beloved family. Something told him to take advantage of the situation as much as he could…

The day of the Cell games, he awoke, leaned over, and kissed Chi-Chi. He walked over to Gohan's room, but the boy was already ready. He stood there, in an exact duplicate of Piccolo's clothes. He was ready to fight too.

Goku smiled at his son, and ruffled his hair. They stepped out of the door, and flew off to meet the most dangerous foe they had ever fought.


	13. Cell Games Begin

When Goku and Gohan arrived, Vegeta was already there. Soon, Ichidou, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillen arrived. Much to everyone's surprise, android Sixteen was also standing there.

"Who's that?" Krillen said, motioning towards another fighter.

"He calls himself Hercule." Piccolo said. "From what I'm hearing, he's challenging Cell."

"Shall we go down to discuss the order?" Goku asked.

They flew down to the ring, and walked over. Hercule had several students with him. They were all bragging about it, trying to say that they were going to destroy Cell. Cell would not start the tournament one moment sooner than he told everyone. He refused to fight until the official starting time occurred.

They soon settled on a fighting order. Each of Hercule's students, followed by the 'champ' himself. After that, it would be Vegeta, Piccolo, Ichidou, and finally Goku. As expected, Cell defeated each of Hercule's students without any effort at all. Hercule jumped at Cell, who responded by slapping him across the face and sending him off the battlefield. Cell's first real opponent would be Vegeta.

The prince started off the fight by charging straight at Cell. Cell was ready, and he kicked at Vegeta. He only met with an after image, though, as the Saiyan prince was knocking him into the air before he could realize what was going on. Vegeta was on top of him before he could react, beating him into the ground again.

"Vegeta…" Cell said. "You're a lot stronger than anticipated." Vegeta kicked him in the mouth, and sent him back down. Cell stood up, and looked shocked. "My my my, Vegeta, you truly are stronger than before." He stood up straight. "I guess this means that I should take this fight seriously." he said.

"What?" Vegeta said. He charged at Cell, and punched the android in the face. Cell just stood there, barely moved. He punched Vegeta into the air, and began to knock him around. He flew behind him, and punched him in the back, flew above him, and then kicked him into the ground.

Vegeta struggled to stand, but could not. He collapsed back down, and passed out. "Vegeta's down." Cell said. Goku flew down, and picked up Vegeta. He flew back up and put Vegeta down. He fed the prince a senzu.

"My turn…" Piccolo said, and flew down to meet Cell. Cell looked at him, and nearly smiled.

"I remember you…" Cell said. "I nearly killed you last time."

"Well…" Piccolo dropped his turban and cape on the ground outside the ring. They slammed into the ground with a loud 'thud.' "That was last time." Piccolo said. "This time." He smirked. "You're mine!" He roared, and charged at Cell.

Cell blasted at Piccolo, only to meet an after image. Piccolo was below him, kicking his legs out from underneath him. Piccolo wouldn't let up. Cell would stand up, but only in time to get knocked around more. Piccolo kicked him into the air, and was up, slamming him back down before he could react. Piccolo was beating Cell around the ring, not giving the androida second to catch his breath.

"Wow!" Krillen said. "He's beating Cell!"

"No, he's not." Goku said. "Watch."

Cell recovered and flew back up towards Piccolo. Piccolo was ready. "Hellzone Grenade!" He shouted. Suddenly, hundreds of ki blasts were around Cell, coming faster than he could react.

"HA!" Cell shouted. Suddenly, the blasts all dissipated. "You are very strong, Piccolo." Cell said. "You are not strong enough." Cell came at Piccolo, and began to fight him in earnest.

Soon, Piccolo was overwhelmed. He was knocked out of the ring. "Ring out victory!" Cell said. "That's too bad. You'll be the last person that loses in that way, let me assure you." He began to power up a ki blast. "I suggest you move." He said.

Everyone moved far away from the ring, and soon, the ring was decimated. "That won't happen again." He said. "Who is my next opponent?" he asked.

Suddenly, Ichidou took off his cape, transformed into a super saiyan, and flew down into the ring. He had long, golden hair, a purple gi, a blue undershirt, and white gloves and boots. "I am." He said.

"Ah…Ichidou…" Cell said. "Or should I call you Gohan?"

"None of that matters." Ichidou said. "Because in a few minutes, you won't even be matter anymore." he got into his fighting stance.

"Was that supposed to be a sample if your 'superior intell-" he stopped because Ichidou's foot was lodged in his face. Cell slammed into a nearby mountain.

"You talk too much." Ichidou said. Cell dragged himself out of the rubble.

"You cocky little…" Cell roared, charging. He kicked at Ichidou, who wasn't there anymore.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Ichidou said. Cell looked down just to see Ichidou blast him in the face. Cell's head was gone.

"You look much better that way." Ichidou said. "And you sound better too." He said.

Cell's head began to regenerate. Soon, he was back to the way he was, and very, very angry. "WHY YOU!" He roared. He charged at Ichidou full bore. "No more games!" He shouted.

Ichidou didn't have time to react. Cell was on him, beating him mercilessly. Ichidou got in a few more lucky shots, but he wasn't able to get on the offensive again. Soon, he was slammed into the ground, and he struggled to get up.

"Surrender, Son Gohan." Cell said. "Surrender, or I destroy you…" he growled.

Ichidou tried to stand back up, but failed. "I surrender..." he said.

"Good, somebody get this trash out of here." He looked up. "Who's next."

Goku flew back into the ring, and picked up Gohan. He flew him back, and fed him a senzu. "You did a great job." Goku said. "But now it's my turn."

He flew down to meet up with the android. Ichidou sat up, and looked around. He stood up and decided to watch the fight.

Goku was looking at Cell, and he smiled. "You're really strong." Goku said, readying himself. "We can begin this whenever you want."

"Let's begin now." Cell said. And with that, the battle began.


	14. The Price of Power

A/N: Just to let you know, I have a whole new story arc for Future Gohan (AKA Ichidou). I apologize if my writing isn't very 'original', trust me, I know. (Smiles wickedly). Thank you for your reviews, and I want to be a fantasy/science fiction writer, in case you were wondering. I'm writing fan fiction because, at this point, I'm pretty sure that most people aren't interested in my ideas. I don't write fan fiction because I have a lack of original ideas, just a lack of an interested audience. Don't worry, I have plenty of my own stories…

Goku stared at his foe, trying to discern a weakness. Goku charged, coming at the android as fast as he could. Cell reacted, but a little late. Goku managed to kick him in the face, and he sent him away. Not waiting for him to recover, Goku came at him again.

Cell was ready. Goku hit only an afterimage, and managed to get out of the way before Cell hit him. Cell swung around, looking for Goku. He looked down. There was Goku, far below.

"HA!" Goku said.

"What the?" Cell said. He realized, far too late, that Goku had prepared a kamehameha. The blast hit Cell full force. Cell floated there, in mid air. He had no body from the waist down. After a few moments, Cell regenerated. He charged at Goku. He swung hard, but Goku disappeared.  
Suddenly, Cell was hit from above. He plummeted out of the air. Cell got up, and saw Goku standing in front of him. He swung at Goku, but the saiyan was ready. Goku dodged the attack, and came at Cell with one of his own. The two of them went blow for blow, neither one gaining a distinct advantage.

Goku kicked Cell into the air, and blasted him. Cell dodged swiftly, narrowly avoiding his head being taken off again. He then charged at Goku, full speed.

Goku managed to avoid the hit, and countered with a blow of his own. He punched Cell away, and it took a decent distance for Cell to regain his footing. Goku was panting heavily, he was clearly pushing himself beyond his limits. Cell, however, didn't look winded at all. He turned around.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I can't beat him." He said.

"Does that mean you surrender?" Cell asked.

"Yes, yes it does." Goku said.

"Fine, than I shall destroy the earth…" Cell said.

"I didn't say I was your last challenger." Goku said.

"There is someone capable of fighting me left?" Cell said.

"Yes…" Goku said. "My son, Gohan!" He said. Everyone's jaw dropped. They watched in awe as Goku flew back towards the crowd of onlookers. "Gohan…" Goku said. His son looked up at him. "You can do it."

"Are you sure?" The boy asked. "If you think I can…" he said. With that, he took off his cape, and flew down to meet Cell.

"Why did you do that?" Piccolo asked.

"I think Gohan is strong enough." Goku said.

"That's not possible." Piccolo said. "Before you entered the Room of Spirit and Time, he hadn't achieved super saiyan yet." Piccolo looked at Goku. "I certainly hope you know what you're doing."

Meanwhile, Gohan was looking at Cell. Cell came at Gohan, not giving him any chance to react. Gohan managed to avoid his attack, but barely. Cell was trying to hit Gohan again before the child had a chance to react. Gohan was barely keeping his head above water. Soon, however, Cell knocked him to the ground.

"I thought your father said you were strong enough to challenge me?" Cell asked.

"He must have been talking about my hidden power…" Gohan said. "Ever since I was a little kid, my power would spike whenever I became angry." He said.

"Hmm…"Cell said. "I guess I ought to try to bring that out of you." he said. Suddenly, Cell slammed his fist right into Gohan's face. "Why don't you get angry, brat?" He said.

Cell kicked Gohan in the stomach, and wrapped his hands around Gohan's neck. "Don't you realize what I'm going to do!" He shouted, cutting off Gohan's air supply. Gohan's hair reverted back to black, he wasn't super saiyan anymore. "I am going to kill your father!" He said, tightening his grip. "I am going to kill your mother!" He said, and at this point, he pulled one of his hands back and punched Gohan in the face. "I'm going to kill your friends!" he roared, slamming his fist into Gohan's face.

"Goku, save your son!" Piccolo shouted. "He's dying!"

"Gohan can beat him…"Goku said, shaking.

"Save your son, or I will!" Piccolo roared.

"No, I will…" A voice said. Suddenly, Ichidou jumped off the mountain, and rushed towards Cell. He came up from behind Cell, and kicked him straight in the side of the head. Gohan was lurched out of his grasp, and Cell was sent flying away. Gohan looked up, to see his future self, smiling down at him. "Come on, kid, get back up, you've got a fight to win." He said.

"GOHAN!" Goku suddenly shouted. A large kamehameha came out from nowhere, and came straight at Ichidou. Ichidou managed to create a kamehameha to counter. He held back the massive blast for a few moments, but was soon overwhelmed. Gohan watched as Ichidou was carried off the battlefield. He slammed into the mountain, and Ichidou was soon covered in an avalanche of rocks. His ki was gone.

Everyone stared in shock, their jaws open, their bodies frozen. Ichidou was dead, gone. A blast that could have killed any of them had just slammed into him, it carried him into a mountain, and sent the whole mass of rocks down on his head.

Gohan's eyes widened. No, this couldn't happen. How did he just, die… "NO!" Gohan roared. Power…more than he had ever felt in his life flowed into his body. He felt his body swell with power as the full force of his rage hit him. His aura exploded, and the others were blinded by a flash of light.

When the light faded, Gohan was standing. His hair had changed dramatically, it was longer, sharper, and shaped completely different. His aura flashed with little electric shocks. He looked at Cell, who was smiling. "He was right…" Gohan said, turning to the android. "I've got a fight to win."

Cell couldn't react, not in time. Gohan was upon him, slamming him to the ground. Cell was afraid, an emotion that he had never felt before. Gohan had just came upon him from a hundred yards away, and was still upon him before he could react. As Cell bounced off of the ground, Gohan was there to kick him away. Cell blasted through a new pile of rocks, but was kicked through another before he could recover. Gohan was behind him, and he slammed one fist into Cell's stomach.

Cell doubled over in pain. His breath was short, and he could hardly move. Gohan had just punched him so hard that Cell was nearly unconscious. Cell looked up, and saw Gohan. He looked back down, trying to make sure that his regeneration rearranged the mess that Gohan had made of his insides.

He looked up just in time to see Gohan right in front of his face. Gohan launched a ki blast from mere inches away. It took Cell's head completely off. The android fell back onto the ground.

Gohan paced back and forth, waiting for the android to stand up. He would pay, for killing Ichidou. He would pay with pain, humiliation, and ultimately, his life. Death was too simple a punishment. When Cell found himself staring up at King Yemma, he would be able to tell him who sent him, and would be glad to be there. Hell was no comparison for what Gohan had in store for him…


	15. Cell's Torment

Gohan stared angrily at his foe. His power flowed from his body, rage filled him. Cell was going to die, and die painfully. He charged at the android. Cell couldn't react. The android got up, seconds before getting slammed back down. Gohan didn't give Cell room to breathe.

Goku stared as his son dominated a foe that he himself couldn't touch. At heart, he was immensely proud of his son, but the price was too great. Ichidou died so the rest of the planet could survive. He closed his eyes, trying to hide his pain. Piccolo was right, he should have never tried to get Gohan to fight in his stead.

Gohan knocked Cell into the ground, creating a crater in the ground. Cell flew up to meet Gohan, but the boy kicked him in the head, knocking him away again. Cell was standing up just long enough for Gohan to kick him in the face again. While everyone was cheering on the fight, Piccolo couldn't watch. He should have stopped Ichidou, he should have stopped him and did the job himself. Piccolo couldn't look on, he felt that he had failed Ichidou.

"You little!" Cell growled, trying to come at Gohan again. Gohan merely dodged his attack, and punched him in the face. The android fell back, his face was caved in. It took a few seconds for his head to regenerate. Cell came back for more, and Gohan responded by knocking him around. Gohan was beating Cell so viciously that even the Z fighters almost felt sorry for him. Gohan would blast an arm off, watch it grow back, blast a leg off, watch it regenerate, take his head off, watch it come back.

"Why doesn't he just kill him…" Piccolo asked no one in particular.

"I don't know…" Goku answered. "He won't kill him."

"Not that I feel sorry for the guy, but isn't this a bit extreme?" Krillen asked.

"I would never do that to an opponent, if I felt they needed to be taken out, I would just kill them. I don't believe in torture, not even when done to those that deserve it." Goku said.

"Cell killed Ichidou." Vegeta said. "Ichidou had just run down there to protect Gohan. Cell killed him. Didn't fight him, just killed him without any problems. Blew him into a mountain without any kind of warning. It wasn't an honorable victory." Vegeta's eyes were cold. "A foe that has no honor deserves none when dealt with."

Part of everyone agreed with him, of course. If you aren't better than your opponent, than how do you draw the line between who is good and who is evil? Everyone watching the fight agreed on one thing, Cell was being beaten worse than they had ever seen any one get beaten. Ichidou could get wished back, but Cell was now wishing he were in hell now…

Gohan knocked him into the sky, and blasted off one of his feet for good measure. Just his left foot, nothing else. "YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Cell yelled, looking at his now missing appendage. "I'm going to blow this planet into pieces!" He pulled his arms back. "THIS IS THE SUPREME KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!" Cell began the familiar chant. "KA…"

"GOHAN, BLAST HIM!" Goku shouted.

"ME…" Cell continued.

"Listen to your father, Gohan, destroy him, he can't block your attack!" Piccolo yelled.

"HA…" Cell said.

"You little idiot, kill him!" Vegeta shouted. Gohan still didn't move.

"ME…" Cell said.

"Come on, Gohan, blast him…" Krillen said.

"HA!" Cell yelled. He let the blast loose. The massive beam of ki came hurtling towards Gohan.

"Ka…" Gohan said, not moving, he was watching the blast come near him. "Me…" He said, still not moving. The blast filled up the sky, blinding everyone. "Ha…" Gohan's voice was barely above a whisper, as if he didn't want Cell to know he was preparing the attack. "Me…" He said, a little louder. The blast came within a few feet of the earth, Gohan couldn't even see Cell anymore.

"HAAA!" Gohan roared. He unleashed his kamehameha. It swelled over the size of even Cell's, and continued to push against the android's blast. Everyone stared as Gohan's kamehameha completely enveloped Cell's.

When the light faded, and everyone's eyes readjusted, the sight that awaited them shocked them. Cell was floating in mid air, but not all of him. Every part of him below the neck was completely destroyed. Cell's head was the only part of him left.

The head, without sufficient ki to support itself, hurtled towards the ground, and bounced along the rocky earth. It rolled along for a few feet, before it came to a complete stop. The others just stared. Gohan had nearly killed the android, even Krillen could muster enough ki to destroy what was left of him.

"Great job, Gohan, now kill him!" Goku said. "You've done it, son, just destroy him!" Everyone cheered. Gohan though, just stood there.

"What are you waiting for!" Piccolo said.

"His suffering isn't over…" Gohan whispered. "Death is too good for him…"

"Gohan, he can regenerate like I can, he's actually faster with it!" Piccolo shouted. "If you don't kill him, he'll be back to full strength!"

"What's your point, he can't beat me." Gohan said. He waited as Cell continued the agonizing, and disgusting, process of re-growing his body from the neck down. After a good five minutes, Cell was back on his feet.

"Cell…" Gohan said, staring down Cell with death in his eyes. "If you're going to call an attack the supreme kamehameha, you better make sure your opponent can't make a better one."

"I'm going to kill you for that." Cell said, glaring at the boy.

Suddenly, he felt a fist slam into his head. Gohan had flown past him, turned around, and was now punching him in the back of the head. The force from Gohan's punch was enough to twist Cell's head around completely. Cell was staring back at Gohan as he hit the ground with a thud.  
It took a moment for Cell to wrench his head back around so it was facing the right direction. He almost wished he hadn't, because Gohan was standing there, waiting for him to turn back around. Cell then punched Gohan in the face. Gohan didn't even react, he just sort of smiled, and kicked Cell straight into the ground.

Cell pulled himself up, and saw Gohan staring him in the face. He fell back, afraid. Gohan glared at him, and Cell was scared. Gohan was tormenting him, torturing him, trying to get him to attack. Gohan slapped him, yes slapped him, straight out of the crater. Cell skipped along the ground for a few yards, and stood back up.

"You little…" Cell said, coming at Gohan. Gohan turned around, and slammed one foot in Cell's midsection. He doubled over in pain, trying to see straight. He could feel something changing, something was happening to him. Cell had never been in this much pain before, he had never experienced this kind of paralyzing agony. Cell now knew true fear.

Cell was crippled by one kick to the stomach. He was helpless, bent over, pain screaming through his body. Gohan was watching him intently. He knew what was happening, just a matter of time before it happened.  
Cell lurched, and felt something come up. He could barely see. This wasn't good, Gohan had forced one of the androids out of him. Cell felt his power shrink, as his body reverted away from its perfect form. The android opened his eyes, and saw that his hands were now the ugly, brownish green they had been before. Gohan had robbed him of his perfection…

"I can't believe it, Goku, he just kicked Cell in the stomach and one of the androids came out. There's no way he can lose now!" Piccolo said. "Gohan's going to beat him, I know it Goku!" he turned to the saiyan hero.

Goku wasn't there, he just, vanished.


	16. Cell's Rage

Cell's power was shrunk, he had reverted back to his original form, and Goku had just suddenly vanished. Piccolo counted the number of strange things that had just happened. He figured out that Goku must have used his instant transmission, but where did he go?

Cell wasn't feeling too good. One of the very things that he was supposed to absorb, was just kicked out of him. The android was lying on the ground, and she wasn't looking very appetizing at the moment. He saw Gohan, who was glaring at him. Gohan had already decided that now was Cell's time to die.

Cell charged at Gohan, but he was far, far too slow. Gohan just slammed him into the ground before he realized what was going on. Cell got back up, and realized that he was defeated. He tried to attack Gohan several times, but he discovered that he was too powerful to defeat. Cell tried anyway, and he charged at Gohan. Gohan knocked him back away, and was wondering why Cell didn't just give up.

Suddenly, Goku came back. Piccolo turned around, and realized that Goku was holding Ichidou. Piccolo didn't want to look at the body…

Cell came back at Gohan again, and tried to hit the boy. Gohan just knocked him back, without even wasting any real effort.

Goku gently lowered Ichidou's body to the ground, he stood back up. He looked…peaceful. It looked like Ichidou would at least get a break from his suffering. Soon, Shenron would bring him back, and everything would be alright.

Gohan was still dominating Cell at every turn. The android couldn't possibly touch him now. At a loss for what to do against the invincible pre-teen, Cell did the only thing he could think of.

Piccolo looked down at Ichidou. He had never seen Gohan dead, either Gohan. The only thing he could think of, was that he didn't want the other Gohan to ever look like that. Those scars, the sad eyes that were now closed, the Gohan he knew would never become that. He would never have to.

Cell began to swell. "I have won!" The android announced. "I have activated my self destruct mechanism." Gohan moved. "Don't attack me, boy, you'll only bring it on faster."

Piccolo looked at Goku, who appeared to be thinking, hard. "What are you…" he said. Goku turned around, and smiled his idiot smile.

"I'm sorry, Piccolo, it's the only thing I could think to do." He said. He put his fingers on his forehead.

"GOKU, DON'T!" Krillen shouted, but Goku was already gone.

Piccolo looked down at Ichidou. At least he wouldn't have to watch his father die, a second time.

"Sorry, Gohan…" Goku said. "I should have been stronger. Tell your mother I love her, and that I'll miss her very much…" he smiled at his son.

"DAD!" Gohan said. "Don't die!" He cried out.

"I'm sorry, Gohan, but I have no choice." He touched Cell, and chuckled. "Sorry, Cell, but you still lose."

And with that, Goku vanished. Gohan's screams couldn't follow him into the afterlife. They couldn't reach them as Cell's swollen body detonated, as the hero's last thoughts strayed to his son. Yet, despite the fact that Goku couldn't hear them, he still knew. He still knew that his son was mourning him already. He loved his son very much, and was very proud of him. Goku's last words were an apology to King Kai…

Gohan collapsed. His tears came flooding out. He should have killed Cell, he should have destroyed him, he should have blasted him into dust and erased him from the surface of the earth. He didn't, and now his father was gone. The dragon balls could always bring back Ichidou, but they couldn't bring back Goku…

Gohan slammed his fists impotently into the ground. He struggled to think of what to do. He heard Krillen coming up behind him. He felt Krillen's hand on his shoulder, helping the boy to his feet. He heard the stifled sobs of his friends. He smelled his sweat, mixed with blood, both his and Cell's. He tasted the stale iron flavor of his own blood in his mouth.

He would never hear his father's voice, happy, wise, and strong. He would never feel his strong hands guiding him, or gently carrying him like he used to when Gohan was a little ball of hair and a tail. He would never again see his father smiling proudly at him. He would never taste the senzu bean enter his mouth as his father came to save him again. He would never smell the fish being roasted over the fire, when he took him fishing. All of this was gone, gone forever. His father was gone, and it was his fault.

Yet Gohan lived, and Goku did not. Gohan questioned the wisdom of the divine beings of the universe, the one's that decided who lived, and who died. Then, Gohan remembered with bitter irony, that his father had surpassed even the gods themselves. So Gohan dragged himself to his feet, and managed a weak smile for Krillen. Even though their victory was assured, no one felt like celebrating.

Suddenly, Krillen saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was android Eighteen. Apparently she was alive. Gohan's gut reaction was to kill her. His dad wouldn't have, his father would have helped her up, and tried to make her a good person, like he'd done to everyone. Gohan realized that the only person that had ever disappointed his father was himself. Gohan had failed to save the world, and his father came down, sweeping from the heavens, to save him once again. This time, however, Goku wasn't coming back.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust kicked up. Gohan turned around, and felt the ki first. He was enraged, disgusted, and had never felt more ashamed in his life. Cell, however, felt good, very good. He had managed to survive his own suicide. In fact, he managed to become perfect again. He shot a blast, a rather insignificant blast, in the direction of Piccolo. Cell was disappointed to discover that the namek, was indeed, still alive. Oh well, time to kill everyone else.

The cloud of dust scattered, and everyone's living nightmare stepped out. "Hello, everyone." He grinned. "I'm back." He looked at Gohan, scowling. "Your father screamed for mercy seconds before he died." Gohan glared at Cell. "Thanks to a really good regeneration ability, I'm stronger than ever."

"You mean like you're going to?" Gohan asked, the rage in his voice. "You've killed too many people today…" he said, charging at Cell.

Gohan came flying at Cell, while the rest of them retreated to the sidelines again. Gohan punched Cell square in the face. Cell stood there, taking in the full force of the blow. He slammed his fist straight into Gohan's head, slamming the half-saiyan into the ground.

"I'm a lot stronger than I was, Gohan…" Cell said as he planted his foot squarely in Gohan's chest. "Every time you blew off my head, or took off one of my limbs, I grew a little bit stronger." He started to push his foot down onto Gohan's chest. "Now, I'm stronger than you. I will snap…" He pushed down harder, causing Gohan to scream. "Each…" He kicked down again, getting even more screams out of Gohan. "Of…" He did it again, causing Gohan to start crying. "Your…" he said, crushing Gohan's chest again, Gohan began to black out. "Ribs!" he said, and with that, snapped his ribcage. Gohan coughed, trying to retain consciousness. He blacked out…

Suddenly, Cell was sent halfway across the field, flying through several mountains. He flew on for more than five miles. The android didn't see it coming, and neither did anyone else.

Gohan felt a small object enter his mouth. He felt someone reach down and slowly help him swallow the senzu. He felt the warmth of renewed strength enter his body. He felt his snapped ribs reform, his cuts and abrasions vanish, and his vitality return. He lie there, allowing the healing process to over come him. Time for round two, he thought.

"Thanks, Piccolo…" He got no answer. He allowed himself a few seconds of rest. From the sound of the hit, Cell wouldn't be back for at least a few minutes.


	17. The Battle Erupts

"Thanks, Piccolo…" Gohan said. He stood up.

Cell flew back to the battlefield. "Who wants to die!" He shouted. He glared around, trying to find out who did it… "WHO HIT ME!" Cell roared.

"Well, since you asked." A voice shouted. "I did."

Cell's eyes shot open. "BUT, I KILLED YOU!" Cell's jaw dropped.

"You're not the only one that can survive his own demise." Ichidou answered.

"HOW DID YO…" He didn't get the words out, because Ichidou was knocking him away again, this time twice as far. No one even saw him move.

"Thanks, for the senzu, dad!" Ichidou said, looking up. "Dad told me not to get up unless you needed me." He said, walking towards his younger self. "He found me, I was barely alive. He told me to turn on my ki distorter, and put me down next to Piccolo. He fed me a senzu right before bringing me back here." He flew towards Gohan. Ichidou's shirt was completely blown off, his chest was stained with blood from old wounds. His arms were decorated with scars. His robotic arm was ripped in places, revealing the metal underneath. Luckily, the arm seemed to still work…

"But, I saw you die, I saw you fly off…" Gohan said, eyes wide.

"Since when has the kamehameha ever _pushed _someone to their death?" Ichidou said. "Since when has a mountain landing on someone like us ever killed one of us. Remind me to thank Bulma later. It was her that added that new energy shield. I didn't even know about until the stupid thing turned on at the last possible moment…" he said. "Cell broke the shield at the last second. I was hit by only about thirty percent of the whole blast." He looked up at Piccolo.

"Why did you stay out?" Piccolo asked.

"Sorry for deceiving you." He said. "You don't understand…" He looked at his younger self. "The power boost I got from taking that kamehameha was sufficient to make me much, much stronger. Your father knew that you were strong enough as soon as you ascended beyond super saiyan. He told me that you had the fight. He was afraid that if you saw me get back up, that you would lose your boost in power, and not want to fight anymore…" he said. "I'm sorry…"

"I…guess I understand…" Gohan said. "I…forgive you…" He said.

"Sorry to tell you this, Gohan, but you're no longer strong enough to defeat Cell." Ichidou said.

"But you are, right?" Gohan asked.

"No, no I'm not. No one is…" Ichidou said.

"Then there isn't any way to beat him? It's pointless?" Gohan asked.

"Did I say that?" Ichidou said. "I said that no_ one _can defeat Cell. Two should be more than enough…" he said. "Let's avenge our dads together…" Ichidou said. "I will avenge my father, and you shall avenge yours."

"No, we avenge _our _father." Gohan said. "If I became you, I would not be ashamed. If I grow up to be even half the person you are, I know dad would have been proud of me." Gohan said. Ichidou smiled weakly at his younger self.

"Sounds like an idea to me." He said. Ichidou wasn't certain that the two of them would be enough, but they were going to try…

Cell climbed out of the rubble, enraged by his embarrasment. He was spending more time trying to get back onto the battle field than actually fighting _in _it. He came flying full speed, and stopped. "You…that was a lucky shot…you won't get another…" Cell said.

"Lucky shot, huh?" Ichidou said. He reached deep inside himself. He pulled out all of the bad memories, trying to find something that could push him beyond super saiyan… He remembered his father, lying there, in his casket. He called upon the memory of his mother, weeping uncontrollably. He remembered Vegeta, dying to save him. He remembered Krillen, Yamcha and Tien, standing while Piccolo retreated with himself in tow.

He remembered Piccolo. How the namek tried to reassure him. How Piccolo saved his life. He remembered waking up, and seeing that tiny scrap of cloth. That scrap, that told him that his mentor was dead.

"This, this is for dad, Vegeta, Krillen, Tien, Yamcha, and Chaoutzu…" He roared. Power flowed into him, coming at him from all sides. "I SHALL AVENGE YOUR DEATHS!" He shouted. The barrier was right there, right there. He could feel himself touching it, straining its limitations, his limitations.

And it shattered. The barrier that separated him from the remainder of his power. He felt more strength flow into him than he had ever felt before. His senses heightened, his reflexes sharpened. "THIS IS FOR PICCOLO!" He said. Suddenly, with an explosion of power bright enough to blind everyone else, Ichidou went beyond super saiyan.

Gohan had never seen anything like it before, and only seconds later realized that it was precisely what had happened to him. Ichidou's hair didn't grow, but it certainly sharpened. It looked like a cascade of golden needles flowing off of his back. Ichidou was standing like he was the pillar upon which the whole world rested. Gohan's aura looked like it had little shocks of electricity being coursed through it. Ichidou's looked like he was carrying a lightning storm with him. His eyes were filled with unfathomable rage…

Cell's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe how these saiyans kept coming up with someone stronger to fight. "That's not fair, bringing someone back for a second round, that's breaking the rules of the game…"

"You said the game was over." Ichidou said. "I say the game is over. I'm not going to fight you."

'Than who is?" Cell mused.

"We are." Both Gohans answered. And with those words, the two Gohans, future and present, attacked.

Ichidou swung for Cell's face. The android blocked his attack, only to see Gohan come at his stomach with a kick. He blocked that attack, went to attack Ichidou, but hit only an after image. As though he was being punished for his miss, sure enough, Gohan kicked him in the side of the head.

Gohan sweep kicked his feet, but Cell jumped over his leg, Gohan came from above this time, and slammed his foot in his face. He punched at Gohan, but Gohan wasn't there anymore. He felt an attack come from behind, and he ducked just in time to see Gohan's foot go over head. He forgot about Ichidou, who responded by blasting his right arm off from inches away. Cell blocked an attack from Gohan with his left leg, but he wound up blocking another after image.

This time, he didn't get caught off guard. Cell blocked Gohan's real attack, which was coming from above. Cell punched at Gohan. He realized at the last second that Ichidou was behind him. Ichidou kicked at Cell, but the android ducked just in time. Ichidou's foot missed Gohan's head by mere inches.

Both of them realized that Cell had retreated at that second. He was able to stay away long enough for his arm to regenerate, but he didn't get a breather. Ichidou charged straight at him. Cell prepared himself, but forgot about Gohan for moment.

The boy kicked Cell in the back of the head. Cell's head bounced off, and straight into Ichidou's foot, who kicked him in the face. Cell swung for Ichidou, but he wasn't there anymore. Ichidou rewarded his mistake with a kick to the _back _of his head. Cell reached behind him to hit Ichidou, but Gohan was in front of him. Gohan kicked him away, so fast that Ichidou had to bend over backwards in order to avoid a collision.

The two of them let Cell get up, but no more time than that. All those kicks to the head made Cell see four Gohan's instead of two for a second. This time, he was ready. Gohan came at him. Cell expected Ichidou to appear behind him, and swung behind him, knowing that that was precisely where the warrior would be.

Instead, Gohan himself came up and kneed Cell in the face. Cell fell back, wondering where Ichidou ran off to. He turned around, hoping to see the older fighter. He was rewarded for his curiosity when Ichidou elbowed him in the stomach. Cell flew back through the air. Gohan was ready for him.

Gohan raised his fists into the air, and spiked Cell straight into the ground as soon as the android reached him. Cell pulled himself out of the crater. He stood up, the action itself painful, and tried to shake the dizzy sensations from out of his head.

"Bravo, my good Gohans…" He said. "I don't think you realize just all that I am capable of." He said. Suddenly, the android divided himself in to two Cells. "Thank you, Tien!" One of the Cell's said. "Shall we?" One Cell said. "Let's shall…" The other said. The two Cells then attacked the two Gohans.

A/N: Yes, I was planning on bringing him back from the beginning. I hope you enjoyed my flip flop of the shows story line…this _is _getting interesting, isn't it, my audience…


	18. Cell's Twin Assault

The two Cells ascended from the pit below. After a few seconds, they settled on which one to take. Each of the two Cell's came charging at a Gohan.

The one that went after Ichidou came at him at full speed. Unfortunately for Cell, full speed was slow enough for Ichidou to react with plenty of time to spare. He just dodged the attack, didn't even bother to after image, and slammed his elbow into Cell's head.

The one who came at Gohan fared no better. He caught up with Gohan just in time for him to be kicked into the ground. Cell stood up, and there was Gohan, right in front of him again. Cell didn't get a chance to charge at Gohan, as the young saiyan was already hitting him again.

Soon, the two Cell's decided to double team Ichidou. This didn't work, as Gohan ran into their fight and isolated one of the Cells for himself. The two Cell's were getting beaten, worse than Cell had ever been beaten himself.

Gohan kicked Cell in the head. Cell shot straight through the air. Gohan was already behind him by the time he realized he had even been hit into the air in the first place. Cell plummeted to earth, and Gohan was there, kicking him in the face before he was even able to react. Cell dropped to the ground. He managed to pull himself to his feet. Gohan and Ichidou were doing precisely what he wanted them to do…  
Meanwhile, Ichidou was almost getting bored at how easy the fight was getting. He knocked Cell in one direction, flew over there before Cell could react, and knocked Cell off in a completely random direction. All of this was done before the android had any time to react.

Something wasn't right. "I don't understand…" Piccolo said. "Cell is clearly being beaten by them. He is losing because he is using an inferior tactic. Cell should be smarter than…" His eyes opened wide. "Gohan!" He shouted. "Ichidou!" The two of them turned towards Piccolo. "He's using your beatings to make himself stronger!" He said.

It was too late. Using their momentary loss of attention, the two halves of Cell refused, becoming one entity again. Cell smiled. He knew that the two of them wouldn't be able to avoid the temptation of beating him senseless. He was now even more powerful than he had been before. He had allowed the two Gohans to beat him half to death. Since saiyans get stronger after every near death experience, and Cell inherited that quality, he took a gamble and thought that if he divided himself, and allowed each of his halves to take a severe beating, than he would become even stronger once he became one Cell again.

The reunited Cell charged at Ichidou full speed. Ichidou wasn't able to react fast enough. Cell hit him full force. Ichidou was sent flying. Gohan, not letting Cell get a second shot on Ichidou, jumped forward and attacked Cell. Cell batted him away like he was a fly.

Ichidou got up, and tried to charge at the improved Cell. Cell punched him in the face, and knocked him away. Ichidou dragged himself to his feet, and tried to think of a way to win. There was simply no way to defeat Cell, not at this rate.

Suddenly Ichidou saw a way. Cell was winning because he was isolating the two of them away from each other. He was much stronger than before, true, but he wasn't totally beyond defeat. Ichidou thought of a strategy, and telepathically sent a message to Gohan.

Gohan agreed to Ichidou's idea. It was the only strategy he could think of. Ichidou came at Cell from behind, Gohan attacked from the front.

Ichidou kicked at Cell. The android dodged, but it was only an after image. Gohan sweep-kicked Cell's leg. Cell jumped up to avoid the attack, but it was again only an afterimage. Suddenly, he felt the pain of a small, sharp elbow being slammed into his stomach. Before long, a larger, but still painful elbow hit him in his back. He flew into the air.

"KA…" Ichidou said.

"KA…" Gohan said.

"I don't think so!" Cell said. He looked, and the Gohans were on opposite sides of himself. Ichidou was far into the air. Gohan was on the ground.

"ME…" Ichidou said.

"ME…" Gohan said.

_Think Cell, you idiot_… the android was worried. If he went after one Gohan, the other would blast him in the back. If he divided, the two Gohans would simply incinerate his two halves. He tried to think of a solution. Each second decreasing his chance of victory…

"HA…" Ichidou said.

"HA…" Gohan said.

Cell knew that between the two of them they still had ample power to destroy him, completely. He desperately tried to think of a way to deny hell of his presence. He considered the one move he could think of. The instant transmission. He raised his fingers to his forehead. Yes, that would be the solution. Suddenly, his hand was sliced off.

"I don't think so, Cell…" Krillen chuckled. Cell realized with horror that Krillen had cut his hand off with a destructo disc. Raising his fingers to his forehead was required for the move to work. He tried with his other hand, only to realize that his other hand was blown off.

"You're not going to escape your fate." Piccolo said. Cell had no hands to do the instant transmission with.

"ME…" Ichidou said.

"ME…" Gohan said.

"Ha ha ha…OOF!" He was laughing because he thought that he had successfully flown out of range. He grunted because a knee was thrust into his stomach. The power that the Gohans were creating was so overwhelming that Cell couldn't feel anyone else around.

"Get back in there…" Vegeta said. Cell flew back down, right back into the line of fire. He turned around, but Piccolo was waiting for him on that side. Piccolo and Vegeta weren't strong enough to compete with him, but since he couldn't sense them coming, there was nothing he could do. His hands were gone, so the instant transmission was out.

"HAA!" Ichidou shouted, unleashing the blast.

"HAA!" Gohan roared, blasting Cell.

Cell's hands suddenly regenerated. There was only one solution. Only one way out. He knew what he could do.

The two massive beams of energy came closer and closer. The two of them had made sure that they were farther away than Cell could charge, so it took quite a while for the blasts to get there.

"KA…" Cell began, thrusting his hands out. "KA…" He watched as two tiny balls of energy appeared in his hands. "ME…" He said again, as one ball of energy grew. "ME…" The other increased in size. "HA…" He said, as the blasts got closer and closer. "HA…" He said, the blasts were nearly on top of him now, he could feel the power. "ME…" He uttered, hoping it would be enough. "ME…" He said, wondering if the afterlife was really all that bad. "HAAA!" He shouted.

Gohan's kamehameha met with Cell's in midair. Cell was holding it back. Gohan realized, too late, that Cell was positioned in a way, that if Cell's blast overcame his, the earth would be destroyed.

Ichidou's kamehameha slammed into Cell's. Cell had managed to keep himself alive just a little bit longer. He realized that, thanks to the way Cell was positioned, if he managed to overwhelm Cell's kamehameha, it just might overwhelm Gohan's, and then _he _would destroy the earth.

_Gohan… _Ichidou said, sending a mental message to his younger self.

_Yes? _Gohan responded.

_Let's kill the jerk. _Ichidou said. _For dad. _

_For dad. _Gohan responded.

The two Gohans pushed Cell as hard as they could. Cell's twin kamehamehas were strong enough to hold them back. They pushed harder, Cell was still able to hold them back.

Cell was suddenly overwhelmed. His kamehamehas were losing. He tried to hold them back, but he was soon overwhelmed. Cell watched in horror as two Gohans blasted him into nothing.

"THIS CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME!" Cell roared. He vanished, obliterated completely, incinerated, dust. Cell was dead, for good.

Ichidou felt Cell's ki disappear. Now came the hard part. _Gohan… _Ichidou said.

_What? _Gohan asked.

_We have a problem…_

_What is it?_

_Our kamehamehas are too big to redirect…_

_So?_

_If either of us attempt to move out of the way, we'll be destroyed by the other._

_No, no…_

_If you let go, the earth will be destroyed, but if I_

_Don't say it, no, don't…_

_If I let go, only I die…_

_Ichidou, don't, I don't want to kill you._

_And I don't want to destroy the earth._

_Gohan thought for a moment. There are always the dragonballs… The mere idea that he would have to destroy himself disgusted him. Ichidou was right, there was no other way._

_Heck, at least I'll get my real arm back… _Ichidou thought. Ichidou let go.

The blast escaped Gohan's arms. He was numb. Even if he could bring Ichidou back with the dragonballs, he had just killed, himself… "Ichidou, I'm sorry!" Gohan said, crying. He fell to his knees. He collapsed, and began to cry…

_Wow…_ Ichidou thought. _the afterlife looks a lot like earth… _"Hey, this is earth!" He shouted. "Where am I, how did I get here?" He asked.

"I took us far away…" He heard.

"Dad?" Gohan asked.

"Yes…" Goku said, smiling.

"But you're dead, right?"

"Yup, but I snuck away for a moment. King Kai's probably really mad at me, but I couldn't let you die like that." he said. "Besides, you owe me a hug."

Ichidou embraced his father. "I'm sorry…" Ichidou said.

"It isn't your fault, and it isn't Gohan's either." Goku said. "I'm okay…" he said. After a few minutes, Goku pulled back to get a good look at his son. "Gohan will never have to look like you…" Goku said. "He'll never have that sad look in his eyes, the look of someone who has seen too much death…"

"I couldn't save you…"

"Gohan, you've saved the world from suffering, you've saved Piccolo, and Krillen, and Tien, and Yamcha, and Chaoutzu. You've saved Vegeta. You've saved the entire world, Gohan." He looked at his son, his wonderful, strong, incredible son. "I was meant to die." He said. "I would be proud if Gohan ended up being half the man you are today." he placed his fingers on his forehead. "They can't know I came to save you, Ichidou…" He said. "He'll be okay without me, but I can't stay long enough to say goodbye to everyone. I'm in trouble already." Ichidou understood. The two of them vanished.

Ichidou appeared above the ground, in the air, and flew down to the ground.

"Ichidou!" Gohan shouted. Gohan flew over to meet his fellow savior. "How did you, you said…"

"I let myself fall…" Ichidou said. "I let gravity take hold of me…" He smiled. "I just let myself fall…" _and dad saved me. _he completed the thought in his head, but didn't say it. "I overestimated how fast your blast was coming at me. I just let myself fall out of the air, that's all."

"You did good, Gohan…" Goku said, in the afterlife. "both of you." He smiled.

A/N: Don't worry, I'm going to continue the story for at least two more chapters. Thank you all for your reviews, see you at chapter nineteen!


	19. Gohan's Homecoming

Ichidou and Gohan flew back towards where the others were. The two of them landed, and walked over to the others. No one felt much like celebrating. Still, they were much, much happier after the battle than they had been before. The atmosphere was one of relief, mixed with sadness.

"Alright…" Piccolo said. "Goku gathered the dragonballs shortly after Dende finished the new dragon. They're waiting up there for us to wish the poor people that Cell killed back. I say we relax for little while before calling on Shenron." They all agreed.

"Hey, it's android Eighteen…" Krillen said.

"Kill her; we don't want her to cause any more problems…" Vegeta said.

"I don't think she's evil…" Krillen said. "She beat you up, true, but she didn't kill anybody."

"Help her up." Ichidou said. "She's still alive."

"Are you insane, boy!" Vegeta shouted. "Do you remember what happened in your time?" Most of them agreed with Vegeta.

"How many of you were good people, when you first met dad?" Ichidou asked. "Yamcha was a thief." He said. "Krillen was mean to him when they were kids." He turned to Tien. "Tien and Chaoutzu were assassins." He looked at Piccolo. "Piccolo was a demon." He looked at Vegeta. "You were a slayer of millions." He looked down at Eighteen. "Dad fought a lot of enemies, but he rarely killed them. Do you know why?" He looked at everyone. "Because dad believed that there was good in all people. He only killed when he felt that his foe was beyond all redemption."

"Are you going to give the same speech to the androids in your time?" Vegeta asked.

"The androids in my time are cruel murderers. This android Eighteen…" He pointed to her. "…Has killed no one."

"He's right…" Yamcha said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Fine." Vegeta said. "But if she causes any problems I will kill her myself." He looked at Krillen. "And I will kill you as well."

"I understand, Vegeta, but I know she won't." Krillen gently lifted the android off the ground. Everyone else took off.

"You like her, don't you?" Ichidou asked.

"You could tell, huh?' Krillen asked.

"Yes." Ichidou said. He started off. "Oh, and by the way, is she a good kisser?" He asked. Krillen guessed that he knew all along.

They all landed at the lookout a few hours later. Bulma had awakened the sleeping Eighteen, and she generously allowed the android to shower, so Eighteen was no longer covered in Cell's fluids. They all gathered around as they summoned Shenron.

"Shenron…" Dende said. "…Resurrect every person that was killed within the past month."

"Your wish is granted." He said. "I cannot resurrect Son Goku, I have already brought him back. I will bring everyone else back that was killed." He said.

"Well, what do we do with the other wish?" Gohan asked. "I know, we could wish for Ichidou to get his real arm back!" He said.

"Nah, the gadgets that my fake one has are too useful right now. I'll get it back another way."

"Everyone…" Krillen asked. "I would like to wish that the androids become human."

"We've got nothing else to wish for, so go ahead." Piccolo shrugged.

"Is android Seventeen even alive?" Yamcha asked.

"Well, Dende _did_ bring back everyone who was killed, so that must have brought him back." Gohan said.

"Shenron, make android's Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen into humans." Krillen said.

"I cannot do this. The androids are more powerful than me. I cannot change them." Shenron said.

"Then, can you remove the self destruct bombs from them?" Krillen asked.

"That is a simple task." And with that, Shenron left.

"Why would you want to try and make them all human?" Yamcha asked.

"I'm sure Eighteen would like to be with Seventeeen…"

"You moron!" Eighteen yelled. "Seventeen is my brother!" She said. She turned around, and was about to take off. "See you later!" She said.

"Her…brother?" Krillen asked. "WAHOOO!" he jumped into the air. "I guess that means I've got a shot with her!"

Ichidou stayed with Bulma for two whole months. She repaired his arm, and he relaxed and prepared for his journey. Two months after the destruction of Cell, everyone gathered at Capsule Corp to see him off.

It saddened him to know that, for some reason, he wasn't supposed to save his father. He didn't like the idea of going back to his dead, nearly lifeless home. But his mother would worry, and Trunks needed to be trained…

"Well, everyone, I'm off!" Ichidou said. Everyone said their goodbyes.

"Well, Gohan…" Krillen said. "I'm glad I met you." Ichidou shook his hand.

"Gohan." Piccolo said. "Here…" He threw him a small box of capsules.

"Capsules?" Ichidou asked. "Why did you give me capsules?"

"They contained a few things that I'm sure you'd like to have." Piccolo said. "Bulma put it all in capsule form."

"I'm sorry to see you go…" Gohan said.

"Don't worry, I'll come back to visit sometime." Ichidou said. He smiled down at his miniature self.

Everyone said their goodbyes to Ichidou. He eventually got to climb into the time machine. He took his time leaving, because he _was _using a time machine, after all.

As Ichidou took off into the sky, they waved at him, watching as he left. Everyone was sad to see him go, but they all knew he was going to make his world a better place. Ichidou watched the world he visited fade into the world he knew. Ichidou stayed behind, only Gohan went forward. He left that identity with those he left in the other timeline. Gohan was going to destroy the androids, and he was going to save the world he knew.

He landed near Capsule Corp. The building was ruined. He knew that Bulma was waiting down under the earth. He hopped out of the time machine, and landed on the ground. He walked towards the door. The city around them was in ruins. That was going to change, Gohan thought. He knocked on the door.

"Gohan?" Bulma said, opening the door. "You're back! Trunks, Gohan's back!" She shouted.

"Gohan!" A voice came out from behind Bulma. Trunks ran forward, and hugged his teacher. "Did you save the world?" He asked.

"I did it there, and soon, I'm going to do it here." Gohan said.

"Your hair!" Bulma suddenly shouted. "How long did you stay there?"

"I'll explain everything." Gohan answered.

Four hours later, Gohan finally finished his tale with the death of Cell. Trunks had gone to bed two hours into the story, but only after he got Gohan to promise that he would tell him everything once he got up in the morning.

"So…" Bulma said. "Goku wound up dying anyway…" She said.

"Yeah." Gohan said.

"But you somehow went beyond super saiyan."  
"Yup." Gohan said.

"I bet Vegeta was really ticked." She said.

"I'm certain of it." Gohan said.

"So…you're going out tomorrow morning to kill the androids?" Bulma asked.

"Yes…" Gohan said.

"Okay, I suppose I ought to let you get some sleep. Can I assume you're staying here, tonight?" Bulma asked.

"Yes, I would like to. I really don't like the idea of explaining everything to mom until I fix things." Gohan got up to go to one of her guest rooms.

"Good night, Gohan." She said.

"Oh, I nearly forgot." Gohan turned around. "Bulma?"

"What is it?"

"Is it at all possible that you could build a space ship?"

"Why?" She asked.

"Dad gave me the coordinates of New Namek." He said. "I was thinking that maybe we could go get ourselves a new Kami."

Bulma's eyes lit up. "That's an excellent idea, Gohan. I'll think on that one in the morning!" He went into the guest room. Bulma left, and went to her bedroom. Gohan knew that she'd be up half the night coming up for ideas for a spaceship. She could live off of technology.

Once Gohan knew that Bulma was off to her room, he quietly opened up the capsule box that Piccolo threw to him. There was two pieces of paper inside the box. One of them had 'read this first' in big red letters. Gohan, naturally, read that first.

It said

_Ichidou, we want you to know that we will miss you, and that we are glad you came to help us. We understand that you may miss us, and that you wish you could bring your versions of us to life. Since you can't bring them back to life, we decided to help make your home a little bit better. Inside each of these capsules are a few things from each of us. One of the capsules is filled with photographs we took of everybody. We even talked Vegeta into letting his picture get taken. Some of us wrote a little note to you, some of us just added a few things you might like. We want you to come visit us sometime in the future. We are forever your friends._

Ichidou smiled, and took the capsules outside to find out what everybody gave him.

The first capsule he opened was from Krillen. Inside, he found a few mementos from his childhood with Goku, and a letter. The letter just thanked Ichidou for his help, and told him that he was going to go after Eighteen as soon as it was reasonable to do so. That made gohan smile.

The second capsule he opened was from Bulma. She had put detailed plans for a number of devices that she had designed, as well as a few spare parts that she felt that Gohan wouldn't be able to access. This included schematics and parts for spaceships, gravity rooms, and countless other devices.

Tien, Yamcha, and Chaoutzu had piled all of there stuff into one capsule. It contained the records from the budokai tournaments that his father had participated in. Gohan now knew who his father had fought against in all the tournaments. It also contained a whole slew of photographs that had been taken at the tournaments as well.

Gohan next checked out the capsule he received from Piccolo. Piccolo had created dozens of copies of his gi, with the capes to match. He also created several copies of Goku's gi as well, both with the turtle's symbol and Piccolo's. Gohan knew that Piccolo must have worked on the gis for days.

Gohan then decided to open the capsule from Vegeta. Inside was a note that explained that a few of the items were to be given to Trunks and a few of them were to be given to Bulma. Gohan was given a few suits of saiyan armor, as well as designs for more. Vegeta also included a detailed history of the saiyan people that was to be given to Trunks, although the prince allowed Gohan permission to read it if he had an interest. Vegeta said that he had been writing everything down from memory in anticipation that future generations would need it. There was also a locked box, the key included, with a severe warning that Vegeta would come through time and space if Gohan ever looked inside it. Gohan knew it was from Bulma.

Then, lastly, Gohan opened the capsule that came from Gohan. There wasn't much inside. A few old school books, as well as a few old mementos, was all there was.

There was one item, however, that Gohan didn't see at first. It was a decent sized book. He looked at it, and then opened it up. Inside were written accounts of all of his father and friends' adventures since childhood. From the day Goku met Bulma, all the way up to the defeat of Frieza. Each event was detailed from the memories of the Z fighters.

Another capsule just said, 'Sixteen'. Gohan opened up the capsule. To his surprise, the capsule contained the android himself! The note said that he had been reprogrammed a little. It also told him not to open it and reactivate him until the androids had been defeated.

Gohan left the last capsule for another day. He climbed into bed, and went to sleep. His last thought was a little plan on how he was going to take out the androids.


	20. The End of An Adventure

Gohan awoke, and pulled himself out of bed. He knew that today, he would begin to rebuild the world.

Bulma was already up. He handed her the box that Vegeta had told him to give to her, the key, and the capsule filled with designs and parts. She was shocked when she discovered what was inside.

"Gohan…" Bulma said. "Be careful, okay?" She said.

"I will." Gohan said. He stepped out of the doorway, and took off.

Thanks to his android detecting device, he was able to discover their location in a matter of moments. They were actually in the city itself. Gohan got near, and landed. He watched with shock as the two androids were closing in on someone. That person would not be a victim…

Gohan blasted Seventeen's right arm off seconds before the android could kill his latest prey. That got their attention, and the two androids turned their attention on Gohan.

Bulma opened up the box, not knowing what lie inside. The box contained two envelopes, one addressed to Bulma, and the other, to Trunks. She read the letter addressed to her. After reading the letter, she began to cry. It said very little. The letter said that, according to Dende and King Yemma, Vegeta's last act of noble sacrifice was sufficient to save him. The letter told her that Vegeta, _her _Vegeta, was waiting for her in the afterlife.

Meanwhile, Gohan was ready to send the androids to hell. Seventeen charged him full speed. Full speed was ridiculously slow to a super saiyan Gohan. Gohan punched him in the face, and blasted him into dust.

Eighteen jumped up, and tried to charge at Gohan. He responded by destroying her before she even got to him. Gohan dropped out of the air to see if the person that he had just saved was okay.

It was a girl. She was about Gohan's age, with dark hair, and bluish gray eyes. She looked like the most beautiful girl Gohan had ever seen.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked.

She looked up at her savior. His black hair cascading down his back, his face riddled with scars. He had just killed the androids, without any effort at all. She pulled herself to her feet, and dusted herself off. "Thank you." She said quietly. This was strange. She had been walking around, when the androids came. Just when she thought she was a goner, here came this strange warrior from out of the sky, who killed both androids without even really trying.

"Where's your home?" Gohan asked. "Even without the androids, this is still no place for someone to walk around all alone." He said.

At first, she thought about telling him that she knew how to take care of herself. But she guessed that she did kind of owe him, so she decided to ask him to walk her home. "I live in that old apartment building." She said.

"Hmmm…" he said. "Do you have any personal possessions in there?" he asked. "Or relatives nearby?"

"No, not really, just some food that I scrounged up." She said. "My family were all killed two months ago."

"I think I can help you find, better accommodations." He said.

"Really?" She asked. "Where?"

"At the capsule corp building." He said.

"Are you sure?' she said. "I heard that place was abandoned."

"Trust me, there's still people there." He said.

"Well, let's get walking, it is across town, after all." she said.

"Walking?" Gohan asked. "I can fly." He walked over to her, and gently lifted her off the ground. He flew to the capsule corp building. She didn't even scream. He gently lowered her to the ground.

"Gohan, is that you?" Bulma said. "Did you destroy the androids?" She asked.

"Yes, yes I did." He said. "I saved her from the androids. She doesn't have decent place to live, I was…"

"Say no more, she can live with me and Trunks for a while." Bulma said. "We've got room to spare and enough food to feed an army. Make yourself at home."

The young woman was smiling. Her fortunes were looking up. She turned to Gohan, and smiled. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." She said. "My name is Videl." She was blushing slightly.

"My name is Gohan." He said. After a few minutes, he finally said. "Bulma, I'm going to go home now. Mom is probably worried sick, and everybody's bound to find out about the androids being beaten." He said. He took off into the air, waved goodbye, and flew off.

Gohan landed at home. His mother ran out to greet him, and then she scolded him. He hugged her tightly, and the two of them walked into their home. After telling her that the androids were dead, he explained the entire situation to her. She accosted him for getting into trouble, but was soon happy that things were going to improve. Her father, the Ox King, was happy to find out that the world's troubles were over.

It took a matter of a few weeks for the world to find out that the androids had mysteriously disappeared. After a few months, Gohan went back over To Bulma's house to discuss something with her.

"Gohan…" Bulma said. "Come here…"

Gohan walked through the door and into a giant room. Inside the room, was a huge spaceship. Gohan smiled. Trunks was standing nearby.

"Well?" Gohan asked.

"Shall we go pick up a new Kami?" she asked.

"Where's Videl?" Gohan asked.

"She's going to stay here and manage the house while we're gone." She said, smiling. "Why?"

"Just asking, no reason…" Gohan said sheepishly.

"Okay, Trunks, let's start to pack up!" Bulma shouted.

"I'm going too…" A voice said. Android Sixteen walked into the room.

"Bulma, do you think you can handle another adventure?" Gohan asked.

"There's only one way to find out." She said.

THE END

A/N: Well, what do you guys think? It's over already… I was wondering, would you guys like me to write a sequel about how Gohan, Bulma, Trunks, and Sixteen go to New Namek? If you would, write it in your review of this chapter. If at least ten people say they want me to, I'll write it next. Feel free to include suggestions, if you'd like.

I would also like to thank my reviewers J.Jaguron, CW, Daffodil8728, em!ly, darkmichael, troubles, Princess-Aiel, Miroku-has-darkness, Volcanic, superSanne, amytherat, chris woodboy, magicstaro, Twinnie, Dairokkan.


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